the Next War Generation
by Libra17
Summary: About 10 years after "Last sacrifice" and the "Bloodlines series" the strigoi has started a new strategy to take down the moroi. They are kidnapping moroi and dhampire children to raise and train their own army against the royal morois. One of them is Diana Belikov who dragged to a war to fight everything her parents stands for. Will she realize who is right and who is wrong.
1. Prologue

**Hey everyone this is my Vampire Academy next generation fanfiction. This is my first fanfic and I from Sweden so please be nice for the grammar and lack of author experience.**

**Prologue**

**Sankt Petersburg, Russia**

**RosePOV**

The night was cool and peaceful. Everything was perfect. Here I was walking in a small park in Sankt Petersburg with my comrade and my little girl Diana, who was walking in the middle while holding each of our hands. She was absolutely adorable. She had long thick dark hair like me hanging past her shoulders and she had brown dark eyes that couldn't stop me thinking of Dimitri. Diana was really energetic and troublesome four years old but she had a gentle heart. And I loved her so much. Before her I thought only two person could make me feel this way. Lissa and Dimitri but I was wrong and sometimes I think love her more than them. Must be a natural mother instinct I guess.  
So imagine how I feel to Sunday when my Diana will attend to S: t Vladimir academy to be a novice and learn to be a guardian. I was worried to let her ago but at least I and Dmitri had got a time off our guardian duties and visit Dimitris family a week before shed go. Diana was exited to visit them and they were exited as well. Everyone loved her and always joked that she was like a mini me. I guess I was like her that age but she reminded of Dimitri as well by helping Olena and other women with the groceries, cooking and cleaning. Always helping others just like my Dimitri. She also had spent some extra time with Yeva the witch. I was surprised that shed still lived. She must be thousands of years old by now. She also claimed that Diana had the same fortune gift as herself. Diana was happy by thought to have a gift to see the future, like everyone else. Well everyone except me. I didn't believe in that stuff and didn't like Yeva to put that kind of thoughts to her head.

This was our last day in Russia. Tomorrow we would be traveling back to court were our other family awaited.

"Mama! Papa! Look, look." Diana screamed and pointed to a couple of fireflies flowing in the air. I bent down beside her and stroking her hair out from her happy face.

"Try catching one for mama, will ya."

"Yaaaay! ", she screamed happily out loud and run to the fireflies and tried to catch them by jumping and chasing after them.

"Dina! Be careful and don't run away!" Dimitri shouted to the girl who was determined to catch her prey. I laughed while I took Dimitris hand kissed him on his cheek.

"Oh come on comrade. Let her have some fun, she's a Hathaway after all."

"It still doesn't give her right to not be cautious." said Dimitri without taking his gaze from Diana. I laughed again and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Calm down. You're in a family vacation with beautiful girl and with your awesome wife." He turned his glance to me and his face softed to a gentle loving expression.

"Every man's dream." He said while cupping my face and kissed me. Even after all this years I still could feel the wonderful electricity which was between us every time we kissed. Everything was perfect, until we heard a scream.

We ended the kiss and saw Diana stand near a tree and behind a tree we could see a figure of man who was holding her short arm.

"Mama! Papa!" she screamed. We didn't hesitate. We both started running to her till two more figures appeared in our way out of nowhere. Strigoi. Luckily for me and Dimitri we had our stakes with us and started to fight of them easily only to be ambushed by another wave of strigoi who did everything to prevent us to rescue Diana. I could hear Diana scream in the background and that filled me with fury and I used that that fury on the attackers. When we had fought them of we looked at the spot Diana had been only to find out that she's was gone. We ran to the spot and screamed her name only to hear the silence of the night answering back.

**So what do you think? Just review of what you think below and I will update the first soon.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Past and Strange Teens

**I don't own the Vampire academy/Bloodlines world. That honor goes to the author Richelle Mead. **

**Chapter one: The past and strange teenagers**

**13 years later**

**RosePOV**

I stood out in the balcony in my and Dimitris apartment and looked out in the horizon. The sun was going up and night was falling (in vampire time). I had the day off today. I never had a day off but today was an acceptation, because today was the day. The day when I lost my only daughter to the strigoi thirteen years ago. The day always haunted me but over the years I tried to get over it, which wasn't easy but it was always on this date that it hurt extra bad and Lissa understood that I haven't healed from the event. How could I? I lost my child to a bounce of strigoi who probably killed her for a snack. Dimitri and I searched everywhere for days without luck and in the end we had to except the horrible fact that Diana was gone. Forever.

"Rose?" I turned around and found Lissa standing behind me. I hadn't noticed her come. I mentally shocked my head from the sorrows of the past and focused on my best friend and queen. I didn't want to look weak in front of her. Yes, she was my best friend and all but I couldn't handle any more sympathy over this.

"Liss, is something wrong? " I said and walked towards her.

"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to check on how you were. I was worried." She said while she sat down on the living room couch. I sat next to her and sighed.

"You shouldn't."

"Like I have choice. You are the one who always gets in trouble remember." She joked to light me up. It worked. I gave her a serious face.

"I have grown up."

"Like that have ever stopped you." We both thought of all the crazy things I had done in my life and laughed.

"So have I missed anything today? You had that meeting today with the alchemist, didn't you?" her face suddenly grown serious and sighed.

"Yes and apparently there have been some strange actives in different parts of the world." I tensed up.

"What kind of strange actives?"

" Well apparently there have been fights and stealing of human military weapons from people who are extreme combat warriors and some of them even claimed to wielded magic."

"Dhampier's and morois obviously but why would a group of dhampires and morois steal human military weapons?"

"But that's not even the strangest part. The gangs were all teenagers and the alchemists and the guardians have gone thru all moroi and dhampires communes, court and schools and find no matches of the people who did it."

"How could that be? All moroi and dhampire children are living in academies for safety every since the strigoi started to attack and kill moroi and dhampire children." And one of them was Diana, I thought but pushed the thoughts and sorrow away and tried to focus on the situation.

"What are you planning to do about it?"

"We are not sure. The guardians and alchemist will still keep searching but in the mean time we decide to isolate the court and academies. Looks like I have to cancel my visit to S: t Vladimir to visit my children." She said sadly. Lissa and Christian's children Andre and Miranda were twins who were about seventeen years old now. The both are going school in our old school at S:t Vladimir and the parents and the children rarely saw each other because of the situations with the strigoi but that didn't stop them to keep in touch with emails and Skype. I envied Lissa sometimes but hated the fact seen barely seen them. I almost looked them as my children as well.

"No, you can't. You haven't seen them for…like three years and Skype chatting doesn't count."

"I know. I miss them so much. I wish they could come here to court but they need to study so they can represent the Dragomir line and they need to stay safe of what things looks like these days." She looked away and I know she was fighting tears. Even do we lost our spiritual bond to each other many years ago I could sometimes tell how she felt. I took her in a safe and warm brace and whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry Liss. Nothing will happen to them and whoever the teen gangs are I swear they are not going to hurt you in any way."

**DianaPOV**

I always hated flying and that's was not because of the fact that was I thousands of meters above ground. It was because it was…boring. I have to sit absolutely still on my seat for hours. I was too restless to sit and do nothing, one of my many flaws but a flaw I have controlled over the years but still. So I did the best I could to entertain myself. The plane was pretty fancy and most of the students was in the back of the plane and watched a movie I have already seen it so many times so I didn't bother watch it again. I didn't try to talk to anyone on the plane. I was kind of asocial even though I have known these people my entire life I didn't have any practical friends. They respected me and I respected them, simple as that. So instead I tried to read my book which I took for this trip. I have almost finished it.

I was going into a good part when I felt a couple of hands stroking my hair behind me. I reacted fast and grabbed one of the hands and turned around to found that Shane a powerful good-looking (according to him) fire moroi. He was giving me that bad boy smile I always hated.

"Easy Dina, I wasn't going to hurt you." He said in Russia.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call my Dina or did the broken nose I gave you made you stupid." He opened his mouth to say something but closed it when he saw a strigoi coming this way. I knew him. He name was Nicolai Alexandrov and was second in command of the Russian Darz.

"Miss Diana, Mr. Gavrilov wants to talk to you. I nodded to him and gathered my things and followed Nicolai to the front of the plane were the strigoi was sat. They didn't speak a much at all. I heard some of them had small conversations but the spoke to softly for me to hear when the noticed me. Nicolai led me to four seats that were turn to each other and in one of the window seats sat Afanasy Gavrilov. The master and the boss of the Darz in Russia. Everyone feared him. Everyone accepts me. After all he was my mentor and the one who take care of me when I was taken from my "parents". He looked like ordinary business man if it wasn't for the dead pale skin and blood red eyes. Eyes that looked gentle as red eyes could be when he noticed my presences.

"My dear Diana." He said on English which was a little shocking. He hated the langue as much as I did.

"Master." I answered in Russia.

"It's okay Diana. You can switch to English. After all we are going to stay in America for a long time." He said and gesture me to sit on the window seat in front of him.

"I prefer Russia." I said in English.  
"Is everyone expected to speak English all the time because the States has such huge influence in the world." He laughed which was unusual by a strigoi.

"And here I thought you would be thrilled to travel to America. You were born there after all." I tried to keep my face neutral at that.

"I don't remember it." Or the truth is I wanted to forget it. The hellish court with their devil for queen but the real reason I wanted forget all that because of my parents. My so called mother and father who didn't care a shit about me. I remembered the days, the weeks, the months in the fancy room were the strigoi had put me when they took me from them. I remembered I sat by the window who was to dark to look outside an waited to my mama and papa to take me home but they never came and the Afanasy told me that they didn't really care for me. That strigoi saved me from them to send me away to horrible academy school in Montana. I didn't believe him at first, I mean they were Rose and Dimitri Belikov the most famous and toughest guardians in the world. They could easily save me but they didn't because they never came. And as the day past so did my faith. In the end I gave up and started to believe what Afanasy said not only about my parents but about the world I knew? That the queen Vasilisa Dragomir was a crazy hag who had led, like other king and queen before her, the entire moroi and the dhampire race towards a path of evil. Only the strigoi could the see the wrong in what they did and tried for thousands of years to stop their madness by fighting them of and sort the vampire society towards the good.  
I had hard to believe them at first at that point but I remembered how the queen sometimes acted weird and wicked and how my mother tried hard to make me from not noticing. Ever since that I had been Afanasy personal student and I looked him as tough loving father. He was maybe not good as Dimitri Belikov was, who wasn't even my real father because dhampire couldn't have children together which made me hate my parents even more, but he cared for me and taught me to be the best dhampire in the Darz.

"Diana." Afanasy said and by the sound of his voice he had tried to get my attention for a while.

"Yes!" I said and mentally slapped myself of thinking of all that stuff.

"We are here." I looked through the window and saw buildings and among those buildings was the American the Darz there all the strigoi ,moroi and dhampire from the Darz will discuss and prepare for to take down the royal moroi society once and for all.

**So what do you think? Good? Bad? Do you think I should continue with the story? Questions? All you have to do is review below and we see.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Darz

**This chapter and the next one will tell a little how life is in the strigoi army. In the fourth chapter is when the story takes in the main plot but there will be interesting conflicts in here as well.**

**Disclaimer: Again I don't own The VA or the world within. Just the characters in this chapter and the story they live in. **

**Chapter 2: The Darz**

**DianaPOV**

The plane landed finally on the local airport. There we would travel by car to the Darz headquarters in America which was in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a good spot on the country. A big city that was near yet to far from Pennsylvania. It was night so the strigoi walked first then the moroi and dhampire's and last the humans. It was always like this. Not only this but at our society as well.

**The Strigoi** was in the highest rank. They were those who decided strategies, missions, and school and trainings schedules. They could do what they want and everyone looked up to them as gods. Gods who would lead us to fight the evil. They are also very strict about their rules and give some harsh punishments if you break them.

**The Moroi** was next ones on the social ladder. They had started train combat and martial arts ever since they were little and when they find out which element they belong to, they start on special classes to use their magic for fighting. The strigoi trained them extra hard because most of them are or will be their personal bodyguards. It's not unusual to see moroi walking like a shadow behind a strigoi when you see one in the corridor.

**The Dhampire's** like me trained hard as the moroi as well. We were more like soldiers, an extra pairs of muscles. The strigoi didn't except much of us. Sometime we go out on daytime missions who happened to very few of us and rarely. The moroi got most of the missions with one or two dhampire's who were helping them.

**The Humans** were just servants who worked as guards, cooks, cleaners, feeders etc. This war wasn't their war but they thought if they served well they would get the honor to be awakened into a strigoi. Sometimes they were first class ass kissers which was just pathetic. That's why we mostly ignored them as much as possible.

That's how it is in the Darz. The name Darz mean resistant's on Romania. The humans thought the Darz is a theatre/dance club but that's all just disguise. Sure we dhampire´s and moroi did some dance performances to them but that's only to earn money to our organization. It was kind of a good cover. I mean the choreographies we did was pretty cool but they tough and it actually improved our fighting skills with acrobatics and flexibilities. The Darz organization wasn't only in Russia and America. There was also one in Germany, France, UK, Romania and Mexico.

The trip took almost an hour and I sat in the car together with the other dhampire's who were talking about how the American commune would be. Very few of them had visited another commune. I have visited the one in Romania once on a business matter with Afanasy when I was twelve. It wasn't so different from our commune so the American wouldn't be so different as well.  
We finally arrived to a big building almost in the center of city. It looked like a hotel in an old fashion way. On the front of the building was a sign that say the Darz. The dance club was always open at night but because we had a war meeting it was closed. The inside was old fashion as the outside but yet modern. Just like in Russia. Must be our organization style.  
We were led to the auditorium there they held meetings and stuff. The room was full of strigoi, moroi and dhampire's from the other communes in the world. We were the last arrive because we basically lived on other side of the world. I think it was unfair for us to listen to the welcoming/war speech at the minute we arrived but that's life like here. If you didn't like it you just have to take the consequences for speaking it out loud which weren't always pleasant. There was a section of seats that were reserved for us and we too seat while a blonde strigoi with two others behind him came up to the podium.

"May I get your attention!" The room went dead quiet as he shouted without a microphone to the room. From his accent he was obviously an American and was probably the master on this commune.  
"Thank you and welcome, brothers and sister, to the Darz commune in America. I'm Jonathan Wright, the leader and master of this commune. Today is a day we will all remember. Because today we will after years of preparation and training, all cross the world, stand together as one. And together we will do what we had tried for thousands of years." There was a dramatic pause.  
"Destroy the royal moroi." Everybody shouted in agreement, except for the strigoi though.

"They have used humans as blood slaves and whores. They wield black magic to destroy. They want to rule the world."

"Monsters!" The crowd shouted.

"And they're so called guardians have protected them and their madness for generations only to get a single bite a day."

"Bloodwhores!"

"But we have prevented them and together brothers and sisters we will end them once and for all! The entire room (even the strigoi) screamed in agreement. Even I screamed with them. Because this was the purpose of our training, our life's. Our fate. Our destiny. Master Wright raised his hands and motioned that we would quite down.  
"But before that we must see what your are made of. For this week forward you will be doing tests. The first part will be judge of your combat, weapon technique and knowledge. You can just see that part as exams. The rest of the test is how you act in group in the performance rehearsals. After you have taken all those tests we in the master council will decide your score and rank. The scores and ranks will decide in what position you will be in. Work here in the head base or in the fields. There will be twenty field positions for the moroi and ten for the dhampire's ,so don't get your hopes to high for the spots.  
The first test will start tomorrow eight AM so I suggest you eat and have a good night sleep. The humans will guide our friends from Russia to their rooms which you will share with one from a other commune. Meeting dismissed." And with does words I got my room number which was room 315. I followed the human guide to the third floor were the dhampire's slept, boys on the right side of the floor and girls to the left. The moroi had the fourth floor and the strigoi had the fifth. Second and first was classrooms, gym and the restaurant (which basically was like a lunch cafeteria) were we would eat our meals. In the base floor was the club and garage.  
When I arrived to my room I noticed that my baggage had been delivered here. The room was pretty nice. It was like my old one with blue walls with furniture mostly made out of wood. It was a little bit bigger as well. There were two beds, one of them were unmade, probably my roommates. There was also another door on the side of the room which I suspected was the bathroom. There were also two wardrobes. I opened my baggage and stated to unpacking by putting my books (I read quite a lot) on the bookshelves on the walls and my clothes in the second wardrobe. I didn't have many clothes because I wasn't so interested in fashion trends. I barely wore any jewelry so I didn't have any. I only wore my blue nazar necklace which I never took off. I shouldn't were it in the first place because I got it from my mother before our trip to Russia but somehow I couldn't get rid of it. So it stayed as piece of memory from my past before all this.

I was almost ready with my clothes when I heard the sound of keys and the door to our room opened. In came a black girl with black curly hair down from her shoulders and light brown skin. She had a pretty face with dark eyes without pupils and high cheekbones. She was dressed in an orange t-shirt which left the lower part bare and a black skirt with knee-high boots. When she noticed my presences she smiled gently at me.

"So you are my Russian roommate, dah?" I held back a smile at the "dah".

"Yes I am Diana Kozlova." I answered and raised my hand forwards her to shake. Kozlova was a name I took a couple of months after I had been taken. It was Afanasy idea to change my surname. I agreed, Belikov was a very well known name and I didn't want to get any unwanted enemies because of it.

"Tanya Martinez. I'm from the Mexican commune, nice to meet you." she shook my hand and still smiled politely to me.  
"So, nervous for the tests tomorrow?" I shrugged.

"Not really. I think I have very good chances to get one of the field spots." I was after all one of the absolute best dhampire soldiers in the Russian commune.

"Same here but you never know how he others are, so. But I guess you have to think positive right?"

"I guess. So how long have you been here?"

"About a week so I know my way around. I have met some cool people here to. I can introduce them to you if you want."

"Thanks I guess." I said and started to feel a little uncomfortable. I wasn't good on making new friends. Mostly a few rivals and enemies.

"I love the western style by the way."

"What western style?" I asked confused on the change of subject. She giggled at my reaction.

"The dark brown leatherjacket and the cowboy boots." She said like it was obvious. I started to get irritated and defended my clothes

"This leatherjacket is just normal jacket and the boots is like normal ankle high boots with small gold patter on it. Nothing western on both of them plus they were the latest when I bought them."

"Ok, ok. I get it, please don't kill me. It was just a compliment." She laughed and held her hands in surrender. I calmed my nerves. Calm down Diana. You are trying to be friendly to her not threat full, I thought to myself.

"Sorry that I snapped. I just don't like western or cowboy stuff that's all."

"How come?" I looked down at the floor and touched my nazar while thinking of my father…I mean Dimitri. God, I have to stop think him like that.

"Let me guess, it's in the past. I get it." I raised my head in a small surprise. Her face looked serious an concern, then she bit her lower lip and sighed.  
"See this bracelet?" she said while she raised her right hand. The bracelet was golden chain with sun, moon and stars decoration dangling from it.  
"This belonged to my older sister."

"It's pretty."

"I know, it's the only memory I have from her. She gave it to me before the strigoi saved me. They tried to get my sister as well but a couple of guardians tried to stop them and accidently shot her dead.

"Oh." Was all I could say.  
"I'm sorry." She looked down at her bracelet in sad glance.

"I shouldn't wear t it but the memories with her and my family… I just can't let them go so I keep it as a reminder on what happened and what we are fighting for." She paused and turned her glance back on me.  
"To destroy those damn royal moroi." I felt bad for her and I knew how she felt. She was fighting her loving memories of her family because of what they were , which wasn't always easy. I took a step forward and showed her my nazar.

"My mother gave me this necklace a week before I was taken as well. I couldn't get rid of it either." She looked at the necklace and then back to me with a smile on her face.

"Miss Kozlova, something tells me that you and I will be very good friends." And for the first time I actually agreed on that.

…

On the next day I actually felt a little nervous for the tests. I could see that Tanya defiantly was by the fact that her hands were shaking. Except that she looked pretty calm. We barely talked in the morning, just stuff like whom of us would shower first and that. I put my best training outfit and took a bag and packed it with a water bottle, towel, a book and my IPod. Before the test we had a chance to eat some breakfast so when I and Tanya were ready we went to the cafeteria. When we got there it was almost full with people. I´d sighed mentally. We are never going to get any seats. We went to the buffé there they served all kinds of breakfast food. I took some bacon and eggs, orange juice, a green apple, a little yogurt and three chocolate doughnuts. Tanya looked a little shocked at my large breakfast and I just shrugged at her. What can I say? I have a big appetite.  
We glanced around the cafeteria to spot any seats, without any luck.

"Hey Tanya! Over here!" A boy screamed from a table not far away. Tanya waved back to him and turned to me.

"Come on." We walked to a four seat table with two dhampire boys. They have almost finished their breakfast.

"What's up guys?" Tanya said while we took our seats.

"Nervous but not as nervous like our Derek here. He dropped almost everything he took. Our room has never been a bigger mess. He's hands were shaking so much that I almost thought that they would drop off." Said the boy who yelled us here.

"Shut up Marcel. At least I didn't complain how worried I was for the horrible tests."

"I did not" he said and punched the other boy on the arm. He turned his glance ay me.  
"And who is your lovely friend." He said while checking me out. I smiled politely.

"Diana. Diana Kozlova. " I answered.

"Diana." He tested the name out and looked at me approvingly.  
"I like it. It fits you. I'm Marcel Blanc from the French commune." I shook his hand smiled politely. He was actually kind of cute. Thick sand blond hair and jade green eyes. His body wasn't bad as well. Strong muscles but still not buff.  
"And this is Derek Korzha. He's from this commune in America." Marcel said and gesture to the boy next to him. He was cute as well with his curly brown hair and blue eyes.

"Korzha? That doesn't sound American." I said.

"It´s because it isn't. I was born in Romania but my family visited in America when I was saved from them." He said and gave me a gently if not flirty smile at me.

"I was born here in America but was in Russia when they saved me as well."

"Really? You're an American?" Tanya asked surprisingly like I should have told her by know even though we have only known each other for like a couple of hours. I shrugged.

"I have rots in Russia. I was just born here."

"Fascinating." Marcel started but was interrupt by a high angry voice. We turned our glances to the voices and I tensed up. On the other side of the room was dhampire girl on the floor covered in food and standing next to her was the number one on my hating list (after my parents) Shane.

**A little cliffhanger is never wrong. Hihi  
So what do you think? Good? Bad? Comments? Questions? Just review them below and I will update the next chapter soon.**


	4. Chapter 3: Tests and Blood

**I don't own the VA world, just the characters in this chapter and the story they living in.**

**Chapter 3: Tests and Blood**

**DianaPOV**

Over the years there has been a small conflict between moroi and dhampire's here in the Darz. Because the moroi could fight and wield magic they thought they were better without us. That we were pretty much useless because they can do everything we can do and more. Ok maybe everyone wasn't like that but most of them were and that has made us dhampire's very independent. We barely hanged in same group as them, sometimes never but one day we are going to need them to help with our races survival. I can almost say we can forget about that day.  
But until then I am going to stop Shane whatever he is trying to do to that girl. I rose from my seat and walked towards him. He noticed me coming and smiled.

"Well, well. Look who's here. Dina is here to save day." I tensed my jaw at that. I really hated when he called me that. Dina was my nickname in Russia and no one was allowed to call me that. It reminded me too much of… forget it. When I arrived at the scene I took a glance at the girl on the floor and helped her up.

"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" I asked and offered my hand. She slapped my hand away and rose from the floor.

"I don't need your help. I can deal with this punk by myself." She was about to hit Shane but I stopped her and whispered in her ear.

"Trust me you don't want to fight this guy. I know that from personal experience." I must been very convincing because she looked at my face and then back at him and walked away to her table.

"Ahh, how cute."

"Shut up Shane."

"Or what? You punch me? But my face is so …perfect."

"I have done it before. I can do it again and by the way your face is far from perfect. Your nose is still a little crooked."

"I know but I won something because of it didn't I. By the way after the test I like to book a… meeting with you. Hope you can make it, not that you have any other choice." Everyone gasped their breaths. They knew very much what he meant.  
To keep some sort of peace between or races we had a couple of secret rules that the strigoi didn't know about. We call those rules the Code. One of the rules was if a dhampire wants to make a deal with a moroi they have to take shots. Shots were when a moroi drinks blood from a dhampire. Of what I heard the moroi gets to feed ones a week and they stayed in a line to drink from one human until the human can't take it anymore and send a new one. The strigoi watch under the feeding to make sure they don't take too much or kill the human and become a strigoi. Most moroi gets more blood then others, so having a dhampire who can give blood whenever and wherever is a good thing to have. I made a deal with Shane to make him from telling from ugly secret I didn't wanted to be involved in the first place. Well I made the deal after I broke his nose.

And I hate him that he told everyone in this room. I felt weak and I hate being weak. I raised my fist to punch his stupid grin off but he caught it with his moroi reflects and his smile became wider.

"You should save that to the test." He hissed to my face.

"Shane that's enough." We both turned around and saw a moroi girl. She had dark brown curly hair in a ponytail and had blue eyes. She was pretty muscular as moroi can be. Not that different from most moroi girls here.  
"Let it go. You have already humiliated her. No need to humiliate her more and besides we are going to be late for the test."

"Just because you are on of the guardians to Master Wright doesn't mean you can boss everyone around Nicole." A moroi girl who sat the table next to her rose from her and was about to say something but was silenced by Nicole who raised her hand at her. I noticed that girl had small freckles which was very unusual for a moroi.

"I'm not bossing "everyone around". I said that this fight was useless and we are going to be late. It's an opinion and a reminder not an order." Shane looked at her annoyingly and back to my face and hissed.

"We will see each other later. Good luck at test not that you're going to need it." Even though Shane and I were enemies we both knew what we were cable off and Shane knew I was almost unbeatable in combat fights. He released my fist and walked away with Nicole and some couple of moroi. And here I stood, looking Shane with a murderous glance while feeling defeated. I will get back at him. I swear to god I will. Tanya and the others were coming towards me and they all looked sorry of me.

"Are you okay? "

"I don't wanna talk about it. Come on, she's right. We are all going to be late."

…

After the incident in the cafeteria I wasn't so nervous anymore. I became angry, humiliated and restless which I took out on my opponents. I might punch a little harder than I should sometimes but it doesn't matter. It would just add more points for my sake. I won all my rounds and everyone (especially boys) looked impressed at my performance. I was after all very skilled fighter. The three extra hours of training did really help. The others weren't that bad either. Tanya was really flexible and acrobatic. It was very even when both we fought each other. Marcel was fast and Derek was more strategic. All of them were a challenge when I fought them one by one but I defeated them as well. They weren't that angry when I won over them. We didn't get to fight any moroi which was a bummer. I really wanted to teach Shane a permanent lesson. More permanent than a broken nose.

After a couple of hours of punching and kicking we had lunch. I could heard how everyone whispered about me. Some over the scene during breakfast and some whispered how I successfully defeated all my opponents. Apparently I was the only one among the dhampire's. The others tried to ignore the breakfast scene and tried to cheer me up. It did surprise me a little that they cared so much about me already. Maybe we all four could be friends. They were really funny and cool people to talk to. It was pretty obvious that Marcel was the funny one. We sometimes laughed or rolled our eyes at his comments. Ok I didn't laugh I just smiled. I never laughed but I never had a better lunch than this one. I noticed that Derek shot me some glances here and then. Not mean or judge but curious like he wanted to know me better. I really hope he doesn't fall for me. It would make my life so much simpler. I don't do dating or hookups. I made that very clear back in the Russian commune.

After lunch we would have the weapon test. The weapons we used were different kinds of guns. There was also a test in fencing. I noticed that Derek did very well on the guns test. He hit the most difficult targets even some of the targets I couldn't hit perfectly, which said a lot. I was a very good shooter. Marcel's specialty seemed to be fencing and defeated everyone, even me. After the test we were all tired and went back at our rooms to rest. I was going into the elevator with the others when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Forgot something Dina?" I turned around and saw Shane. He had exhaustion in his eyes and had some battle scars. Probably from all the attack spells from his opponents.

"At least wait after I have showered." My body screamed after a cold refreshing shower and besides I was really tired. The strigoi were very harsh on the tests.

"Unfortunaly I can´t and besides I like you all adrenaline and sweaty." Dirty pervert. I turned to the others and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Go ahead. I will catch up with you later."

"Are you sure?" asked Derek and gave Shane a murderous look.

"Go." They all nod and went in to the elevator and I was alone with Shane.

"Another victim? Does he know that you're a heartbreaker?"

"Can we just get this over with?"

"Sure follow me." He said and pressed the button to the second elevator. We walked to his room in silence and I saw all the glances from the other moroi but I ignored them and held my head high. No way I am looking weak and defeated in front of them. We came to his room which didn't look so much different from mine. Maybe in a little manlier style but it was still nice. The only problem was that this was Shane´s room. Shane walked and sat on his bed and pat on the bed for me to sit next to him. He always chose to do this on a bed when he had an opportunity. Again a dirty pervert.

"Come and sit here I promise I won't bite." He started too laughed.  
"Too hard."

"Very funny. Let's just do this okay." I said and sat next to him with my back against him. He pushed my thick dark hair aside and whispered in my ear.

"You don't have to say it twice. I'm so hungry." He breathed in my scent and brushed his lips against my neck. If he wasn't Shane I would think that was sexy but I felt a sting of disgust when he touched me and begged to god that this would be over soon.

"Just do it!" I said with clenched teeth. He bit and I help back a gasp. It hurt at first but then it felt… so good. Like I was flowing above clouds. I tried hard to keep my face neutral as possible but it was so hard. He let go and I felt a wave a dizziness and disappointment which I fight off to look as normal as possible but I was so tired from all the fighting today.

"Twenty shots left Dina. Maybe I have to start to spare them." I liked the fact that he wouldn't bite me so regularly but I still want to finish them all off. Fast. I rose from the bed and tried hard not to fall down. He took a little more than he should have.

"Don't call me Dina". Was all I said while as steady and normal as possible while walking out the room. I walked with rushed steps back to my room. When I got there I slipped on to the door. Damn I really need some sugar. The door suddenly opened and I almost fell in if Tanya didn't catch me.

"Wow, easy girl." She said and led me to my bed. I fell on my back and watched up at the ceiling. God I was exhausted.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired and dizzy. Nothing I can't handle." She walked to the mini fridge and took out a coke and a big chocolate bar and gave it to me.

"Here eat. You're going to need it." I opened the coke and drank it like it was water and took a big bite on the bar. Tanya walked to the bathroom.

"Where did you get this?" I asked while having chocolate in my mouth.

"I always have some for low sugar situations. That and if I want a snack. " She said and walked out from the bathroom with a towel and bowl of water. She sat next to me and looked at the bite.

"Wow that was a bite. You should probably go see a healer if you want it gone." She said while she washed the blood away. Every commune has a least one spirit user who works as healer. You can almost say they were our doctors. A perfect way to avoid hospitals.

"I don't know which room they are in?"

"Go to room 413. There you will meet Michael Johnson. He's originally from the British commune but was transferred here because they needed a spirit user here and they already had two so and he's also from today the best spirit user in the Darz. Maybe in the world."

"I could visit our healer from the Russian commune."

"I don't know where his or hers room are and besides do you really want to meet an amateur instead of a master. Two moroi got specialized in spirit after he transferred here and he is now there teacher." Impressive.

"How do you know all this?"

"Derek told me when we went on the elevator without you. He was really worried about you, you know and he wasn't the only one." I liked the idea about people caring about me but it made me fell weak and helpless.

"I said I'm fine. You guys don't have to look after me. So is it anything more I should know about this master of spirit?"

"He doesn't have any roommate because he is half crazy. Can't really blame him." I knew what she meant. Spirit is an amazing element but it has it consequences. The more the spirit user uses their powers the more insane they´ll be.

"How does he medicate? Our healer medicates with alcohol."

"He medicates himself with bites. From the strigoi."

"What? And they actually do it."

"Apparently they say they do it to help the poor bastard but I think some of them are doing it for fun. Derek said that he had many bite scars and it's not a big secret that the strigoi like to use us as snack here and then." At the last part she sounded bothered. Both sad and annoyed.

"Have you… have they?" I asked uncomfortably.

"Yes, in a month. Twice. I got a scar here." She said and showed a bite mark on her inner thigh. My eyes wided.

"Why don't you heal that?"

"I keep it like some kind of a little reminder that strigoi aren't such saints most of them pretend to be. How long have you had the deal with Shane?"

"Six months now."

"Why?" I hesitated. I didn't want to talk about it but Tanya had been in a same situation like me and she was very understanding. She doesn't seem like the judging type, so I sighed.

"Because of something that would ruin my reputation and Shane saw it. I was a snack for strigoi for a month as well and he found out. Shane and I have always been on each other's bad sides. He tried to get to bed with me and I rejected him. He never got over it. When he found out about me he agreed to shut up about it if I made him the deal."

"They are all fang-bangers." Fang-banger was a bloodsucker who banged with bites instead of… you know what. Calling a moroi a fang-banger was like calling a dhampire a bloodwhore.

"Tell me about it."

"Do you know what the worst part is? That its feels so good. I don't want to like it but… it´s so hard not to." She looked ashamed to even admit it and I know how she felt very well. I put my hand on her shoulder and spoke gently.

"I know how you feel but just because we like it doesn't make us bloodwhores. It makes us survivors. Survivors who can resist the urge of something so pleasurable and yet disgusting as long we hate to do it."

"You said it sister. You should go now and rest later."

"Room 413?" I asked and she nodded.

"I will back in a minute." I left the room and walked to the elevator to floor four. It took while when I found the room and I also got some glances from moroi who were passing by. I ignored them. I was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened and a head popped out.

"Who are you? What do you want." I hesitated. That's was the creepiest pair of blue eyes I have ever seen. Not scary creepy but crazy creepy. I mentally shooked my head and put on a serious face.

"I'm Diana Kozlova and I need to talk to you."

"Liar."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I called you a liar. You're not Diana Kozlova and you don't want to talk to me." He said and closed door. What the hell. I knocked the door and he opened it again.

"Yes?" he asked politely.

"What do mean I'm not Diana Kozlova and I don't want to talk to you? I do want to talk to you."

"No you want me to heal your bite mark not "talk to me" and no you're not a Kozlova. You are a Belikov." The last one felt like he thrown ice cold knives at my heart.

"How did you..?"

"I'm the best spirit user in the Darz, as from today. I have all the abilities, for example the ability to read people's minds." He said like it was obvious.

"And you do that to all your patients?"

"Actually I do it on everyone who interests me. You are certainly one of them. Come in." he opened the door with a happy gesture and I go a pretty good glance of him. He was shirtless and I his neck and some part of the upper body were covered with old bite marks. He had also a very long blond messed hair in a bun. Oh yeah he looked definitely half crazy.

"Do you want something to drink or eat?" he sounded very excited, another sign that he was crazy.

"No thank you. I just want you to heal the scar." His face fell in disappointment. I guess there weren't many people who hanged with him. I started to feel bad for him.

"As you wish. I must say I really feel bad for you. It wasn't your fault that Alexandrov wanted to have a little snack and now you must suffer because of some fang-banger saw it. You can't imagine all the scenes he wants to do to you." I was surprised he knew all that but then again this was a guy who read people's minds as a hobby.

"Actually I can." He smiled at that and touched my neck and I felt hot and then cold at the same time and a little sting at my neck. He took away his hand to lean against a wall to prevent from falling.

"You're ok?" He shook his head and looked around his room and his eyes fell on me and they were pissed.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I took a step back.

"I am Diana. Diana Kozlova. Remember?"

"Liar! Get out of here at ones!" And suddenly I wasn't in Michael's room anymore. I was in a park and I saw my parents who looked like monsters coming towards me. I screamed and backed so I hit the door. I opened it and ran away. I was in such hurry that I accidently bumped into someone and fell to the floor.

"Hey! Watch where you going!" I rose up from the floor and was surprised to find Nicole lying on the floor under me.

"I'm so sorry. I… he…" Nicole brushed her clothes and looked at my expression.

"Are okay? You looked like the hell itself was after you. Are the strigoi after you?" said another moroi girl who helped Nicole up from the floor. I realized that it was the girl with freckles who Nicole silenced. She had long light brown hair and brown eyes.

"No something worse, I think?" I wasn't sure. What the hell happened in there? Nicole laughed at my expression.

"You must have met Michael. No one can scare the shit out of people better him. What did you do to him to piss him of?"

"Nothing he just… he just healed me from an injury from the test and suddenly he didn't know who I was and attacked me, I think."

"Yeah, he does that sometimes when he has used a lot of spirit. Don't worry about it. He will feel guilty about it tomorrow. He's a really nice a guy."

"Yeah, when he is in a saner state." Said the freckle girl.

"Don't listen to her. He's is a real sweetheart once you got to know him." She assured me which I found pretty hard to believe.

"Aha? I think I should go now." I said and started to walk away.

"Are you not going to say thank you?" Nicole screamed behind me. I turned around and raised my eyebrow at her.

"Why would I say that?"

"Because of I prevented Shane from humiliate you more than he did." She said like it was obvious.

"I could have handled it." I said and started to walk away again.

"Okay as you wish but don't go and say I didn't do anything for ya." This day was getting more and more tiresome and it was a day for many. But hey that's life here in the Darz.

**Poor Dina. So what do you think? Good? Bad? Just review below and I will post the next chapter soon.**


	5. Chapter 4: Results

**Hey you guys sorry that I update later than usual. My school has drowned me in test and homework but now I'm back and ready to continue with this story with a long chapter.**

**Disclaimer: As usual I don't own the VA world only the characters in this chapter and the story they are living in.**

**Chapter 4: Results**

**DianaPOV**

"Back flip, back flip, back flip, jump and clap! Ok well done everyone let's take break." Said Olga who was our group's choreographer. I walked to a corner in the room, picked up my water bottle, and drank heavily.

"At least your bite mark is gone." I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw Mad Michael. My eyes wided in small horror.

"Oh sorry for startling you. I happened to speak my mind out loud." I took a sip of water and tried to look untouched by his presence.

"I'm surprised that you remember me. Are you here to apologies or to use illusion at me again?"

"I'm very sorry how I acted couple of days ago. I have tried to talk to you but you have ignored me and do not pretend that you didn't. You know you can't lie to me." I just shrugged like it was nothing.

"Ok I ignored you so what? It's not like we are friends or anything."

"You do not ignore me because I am not your friend but because you are afraid of me. Please do not be and I do like to be your friend. I never had a dhampire for a friend." He looked excited, like a child who was getting a new toy.

"Well it does not have to me, so thanks but no thanks." I said and turned my back at him.

"Do you really hate moroi so much?" he asked suddenly and looked both curious and sad.

The question took me by surprise.

"I don't hate them. I… just don't like them." I said honestly. In my defense they didn't give me much reasons not to.

"You mean you don't like bloodsuckers. Kind of ironic because your half one."

"And yet I have a normal healthy diet." I said in matter of fact.

"You don't think blood is healthy?" he asked amused.

"Well it's kinda obvious. The dhampire's are better looking than the moroi."

"Oh really."

"You can ask all the fang-bangers which they prefer to sleep with."

"How stereotypic of you." He laughed.  
"See we can be friends." I realized that I let my guard down became comfortable with him. I mentally shooked my head and reminded myself why I had ignored him in the first place.

"Well I don't want to, so." I said and started to pack my things to get to the others.

"I can be very good ally."

"Believe me I not going to need your crazy hocus-pocus."

"Well what if I'm telling everyone you real identity." I froze and turned my glance at him.

"You wouldn't."

"Why wouldn't I? Imaging how everyone is going to think when they found out that you are the daughter to greatest guardians in the world. Will they accept you or despise you? You know what they say about your parents." I knew very well. My mother Rosemarie Belikov was a major bloodwhore, sometimes knows as queen of bloodwhores. Dimitri Belikov was known as bloodwhore as well and a pedophile. When I heard people talk about them some part of me wanted to punch them an tell them they were wrong but then again even if some of the things was exaggerated I knew there was always some small truths in them. And known to be those peoples daughter was the worst thing that could happen to me.  
I grabbed his arm and dragged him closer to the corner.

"What do you want from me? A shot?"

"What…no?! I'm not a fang-banger. I already told you what I want." He said startled by the question.

"You want to be friends."

"I thought that you were clever enough to figure that already." He said while rolling his eyes.

"I just find it hard to believe that's all you want. What's your agenda?"

"No agendas. Trust me." Yeah sure. Did he really think that I would trust him like that after what happen but what choice do I have when he threaten to tell everyone who I am. I could just lie to him but then again he was a guy who reads peoples minds as a hobby.  
I looked at him and he looked as crazy as usual, especially his eyes. His eyes. They were so beautiful. Maybe I was wrong, I mean why cant I be friends with him. He was kind of sweet when I thought about it and he so funny. He would be a great friend to have. I smiled.

"Ok we are friends." He's face lightens up and he jumped in delight.

"Excellent! I see you later. Friend." He said and walked away. When he walked away I felt suddenly dizzy and all the friendly feelings I was feeling for him started to fade away. I shook my headd and wondered what was wrong. Why did I want to be a crazy spirit users friend? Then it hit me. Because he can make me to.

"Hey, you used compulsion at me!" He turned around and winked and laughed while he was walking to the other side of the room.

"He is definitely more than half crazy." I muttered in Russia.

"What did he say?" I turned around and found my friends standing behind me. I answered with a shrugged. I definitely didn't want to talk about this.

"Nothing, just some weird shit."

"If you say so." Said Derek.

"Are ok?" asked Tanya and didn't believe in my excuse.

"Yeah just a stressful week." Which was true. This week as been about fighting, studying and training which wasn't unusual from normal days but the stakes was higher then ever which made everything more stressful.

"Stressful, nervous and exciting." Said Marcel.

"But it's Friday and tomorrow they will announce the test results." Said Derek

"Okay enough of the tests. We should do something fun." Said Marcel in a serious voice.

"What have you in mind?" asked Tanya.

"Well when the trainings are over and we have no shifts today so I say that we hit the club, shake all the stress, and go crazy."

"Clubbing? Is that your plan?" said Derek

"Have any better idea?"

"No I think it's a great idea. Some dancing and a couple of drinks is just what we need." Said Tanya.

"We have to get up early tomorrow." Said Derek.

"Oh come on Derk. Don't be such a parent."

"I'm not, I just say that the strigoi don't tolerate late arrivals." What he said was true and I actually agreed with him. But if I agreed with him then Tanya and marcel would go to the club alone and I knew them well enough to know that they would enjoy the party more than they should. Its better they had someone to look after them, so I said:

"It won't hurt if we go clubbing, as long we don't stay up to late."

"See listen to the Russian lady." Said marcel and I rolled my eyes at that.

"Ok let's party."

"Perfect. How about we meet in the elevator in about an hour after practice and walk down there together." Said Marcel in excitement.

"Sounds like a plan." Said Tanya who was just as excited as he was. Olga called off our break and we went back to the class. We were doing a hip hop dance choreography to a performance a week away. We did some dance performances in the club now and then. The strigoi were very strict about this because the better the performance the more money we make, so it was hard work training, sometimes harder then our combat trainings. We had to do the choreography ten times perfectly before they let us go. Lucky nobody messed anything up under these times. Yesterday there was a guy who messed up at tenth time and we had to do ten more rounds again. It was exhausting.

When the rehearsals ended we walked back to our rooms to get ready to hit the club. Tanya showered first and when I was finished I saw Tanya scanning through her closet.

"Dios what to wear, what to wear?" She muttered and started to pick some clothes from her closet and throw them away on the floor.  
"No. No. Maybe, eh in second thought no."

"I'm not cleaning up after you just as know." I said and pointed at the giant mess of clothes.

"Yeah, yeah." She said while waving her hand at me like it wasn't a big deal.

"So what are you going to wear?" As an answer to her question I walked to my closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt and throw them on my bed.

"Voila."

"No, no not that." She said like I was crazy.

"What's the big deal? It's not like I'm dressing up for someone."

"For Derek." Her words startled me and I looked at her in shock.

"Why would I dress up for him?"

"Because he is hot, nice guy who has a total crush at you." I sighed. It was like I feared.

"Well don't except anything. I don't do dating. Or hookups." I said and started to dress.

"Why not? I'm mean look at you. Your one hot Russian lady." I wouldn't say I was one hot Russian lady with my dark brown hair, brown eyes and curves but I knew that I looked good enough to get one or two boys attention.

"Because we are in the middle of a thousand year war and we are close to win it. I should think about my training and strategies not boys."

"How long have you followed that motto?"

"Since forever."

"So you have never had a boyfriend?"

"No."

"A hookup?"

"No."

"Kissed?" I turned my glance away from her because I started to feel kind of ashamed. I have had been kissed by drunk boys, which whiled only for a second because I punched them after but I never had one real kiss. You know a kiss from I a guy I actually like. It might sound pathetic, I mean I was seventeen years old and never kissed anyone. How cool was I but I didn't matter. I meant what I said to Tanya. The battle must come first.

"Oh my dios. You are like a super virgin or something. There has to be some guys who have flirted with you." She said in disbelieve and shock.

"Yes plenty but I always turn them down."

"Wow maybe we should call you Russian amazon."

"Very funny."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Ok that's it. You're going to leave this tragic lifestyle and start to have some amore in your life, start with Derek."

"I don't want to date him."

"Why not? He's so nice and you two are really getting along. He's perfect."

"I've lived almost seventeen years without a boyfriend; I think I can manage to live the rest of my life without one as well."

"Are you gay?" she asked suddenly.

"What?! No? Why would you even ask that?" I said in shockingly. I was so not prepared for that question. I might not have a love life but I knew I was straight as line.

"Because it is the only reason I can figure out to explain all this."

"Well it isn't and by the way has it ever occurred to you that I might not feel the same about him." She looked at me for a while and then shook her head while throwing her hands in the air in surrender.

"Fine, as you wish. You can live your single life as much as you want but you better tell Derek how you feel and you better do that without breaking his heart."

**DerekPOV**

"Hey, don't take all the hair gel. I´m pretty sure that Diana like your hair just way it is." Marcel said from his bed fully dressed and ready to go.

"Why would I care what Diana thinks?"

"Because you have a huge crush on her." I turned around to him and felt my face warm up. I was probably blushing. I could lie but I knew it wouldn't work and sighed.

"Is it really that obvious?" I asked.

"Jepp." I felt my face go even hotter.

"Wow so people can turn into tomatoes. How interesting."

"Shut up." So what if I liked Diana. No big deal. We have come quite close these days and you may think she's stiff and all serious but she was actually fun and caring. I had noticed how uncomfortable she gets sometimes when we hanged out but that's because she wasn't used to have friends but she did throw some witty comments here and there. She never laughed at any joke just smiled or by cover a smile with her hand and with her hand and coughed as if she tried to keep it in. Maybe that's was a weird way to laughing to someone's joke but at least she showed emotions. I loved to see her smile and tired often to do it with pulling some jokes myself but I wasn't as good as Marcel which I envied. Tonight I wanted to look good in front of her and perhaps make a move. It was that's why I tried to make my curly hair look nice by using some of Marcels hair gel, which he has been mocking for all evening.  
"How about you and Tanya?" I asked to change subject. The question took him by surprise and he opened and closed his mouth several times like he couldn't speak.

"Me and Tanya? What do you mean?"

"Come on don't tell me that there isn't something between you." Okay maybe I was a little mean but Tanya and Marcel have gotten along good as well and sometimes they actually flirted but that was just teasing.

"Tanya and I are friends, I mean she's hot, a good fighter, cool and all but that's pretty much it." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure you haven't even thought about it?"

"No, I haven't so stop turn this thing on me."

"All right, all right." Wow for someone who claimed that nothing was going on he sure took it seriously.

"Besides, we are supposed to meet up with them now." I looked at the watch on the wall and took quick glance at myself in the mirror. I looked quite good.

"Let's go then." We walked out of the room and towards the elevators. The girls were already there and I almost dropped my jaw at them. Tanya was wearing a black short dress that hugged her like a second skin. Her hair was in a messy bun and she wore gold jewelry. She looked good but not as good as Diana. She wore jeans and her "not western boots" with a white t-shirt that was open at the bottom and had quite a V neckline, which exposed her light, tanned skin. Her dark was flowing lose down on her shoulders. She had a little make up on, probably Tanya's work. She wore no jewelry except her blue necklace she always wore. I couldn't take my eyes of her. She looked so beautiful and dangerous at the same time, like a wild exotic flower.

"Wow you guys look great." Said Marcel and seemed to not take his eyes from Tanya.

"You guys don't look bad either." Said Tanya while looking at us approvingly. I looked at Diana and made gesture to the elevator.

"Shall we?" She didn't answer and walked into the elevator. What was that about? We took the elevator down to the last floor and walked to the inside entrance to the club. A strigoi guarded the entrance and scanned us with his red eyes when we walked in. The club was kind of a mix of a club and a theater. There was a scene under the dj-corner and the rest of the room was just a dance floor with seats and bars at the sides. There were also stairs to the VIP floor were the strigoi hanged. You didn't get to go up there without an invention. The club was full of humans and I saw a few moroi and dhampire´s. It was easy to see the differences from the different spices. Moroi with their tall pale skinny appearances was quite obvious. The dhampire´s was a little harder to identify because we looked like humans but I recognize some from our training.

"Lets find some seats." Said Tanya.

"Okay." We spotted a four-seat table and almost rushed to it before anyone else did.

"Wow it really is crowded today." I said.

"It's Friday. What did you except?" said Marcel.

"Can I get you something to drink?" We all turned our glances to a moroi waiter with long blond messy hair in a bun and blue eyes. Michael Johnson.

"Michael!" Diana said surprisingly like she couldn't believe he was here.  
"What a surprise to see you."

"Surprise to see you too. I thought you would rest from all the work this week." He said with his stupid British accent. Even though he has lived years in America he still got his accent.

"Well we decided to take a break and have some fun." She said like it was nothing.

"I see. So what can I get you?" Tanya and Marcel order margaritas and Diana order a Black Angel. I took a Shocking Jock. Michael nodded at the orders and wrote the orders on his small notebook.

"I hope you have a nice evening. See you later Diana. My friend." He said and winked at her and walked away.

"He's weird." Said Marcel.

"Tell me about it." Said Diana while sighing.

"He seems pretty attach to you. Is something going on between you two?" I knew it was quite impossible. Crazy guys doesn't seem to be Diana's type, then again I don't think she had a type. But it still bugged me that there was something going on between them.

"This is only the third time I bumped into him and much hasn't happen except he wants eagerly to be my friend." She answered with a hint of annoying in her voice.

"Fang-banger?" I asked.

"Not that kind of friend and technically he's more of a bloodwhore than a fang-banger and he only do it to escape his madness."

"Well seems like a lose battle." Said Marcel.

"Yeah I kind of feel sorry for him." She said while looking at the direction where he went, which made my chest twist in envy.

"So do you want to be his friend?" I asked carefully.

"I don't have much of a choice do I." she said like she was talking to herself than me. I snapped.

"What do mean?! Have you done a deal with him? How many moroi do you have exactly?" As soon the words came out of my mouth I regret them, especially when Diana gave me a hard glance, which burned right through me.

"First of all I don't "have" any moroi, it's more they have me and by "they" I mean Shane. Second, you don't have to act like that. I am not a bloodwhore. I ratter die then be one." Every word from her controlled angry voice struck me like knives one by one. I mentally shook my head and felt ashamed. What was I doing? I didn't want to make her upset.

"I know you aren't. I was just worried about you." I said in a gentle voice.

"Well don't. Your not my boyfriend so stop acting like a jealous dick." She snapped and it felt like she thrown daggers into my heart. She saw my shocked expression and shook her head.

"I should go." She said and walked away.

"Well done man. Well done." Said Marcel. I bent down my head and grabbed my knees so hard that my knuckles turned white.

"Marcel." I said.

"Yes?"

"Shut the fuck up."

**DianaPOV**

I walked from the table and all the way to the bar, which wasn't easy with all the people in the way. I sat on one of the bar chairs and sighed. Why, why did I say that? Now Derek will be hurt by my slip up. Now would Tanya get angry with me, and Marcel well he would take their side and leave me all alone. Dear god I wasn't really good friend, which pretty much explains my lack of them.

"But you still got me." Said a voice behind me and I saw that it was Michael. Who else.

"Am I ever going to get some privacy around you?"

"Some here and there." He said and sat at the bar seat next to me.

"Why are you here and not with the others?"

"Can't you tell by just read my mind?"

"I would but I think I have used my powers enough for today."

"Well that's a relief." A bartender gave him four drinks and Michel passed by one of them to me.

"Here, take a drink. You order it after all." I took the drink and sipped it.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"You know what. Are you interested in me or something?"

"I wouldn't be with you if you weren't."

"No, that's what not what I meant. I mean like romantically." I said awkwardly and took a sip on my drink. Michael on the other hand started laughing.

"Oh my dear Diana. You have quite high thoughts of yourself. No I'm not interested in you romantically." I felt embarrassed for asking that and drank the rest of my drink without caring about the burned feeling in my throat.

"Well this was a nice chat but I have to go." I said and rose from my seat.

"Wait where are you going."

"To the bathroom." I walked through all people to the girl's bathroom. I didn't actually need to go but it was nice to get away from everything. I looked in the mirror and looked for any errors. No, I looked pretty good but the make up that Tanya forced me to have, was a little smeared out from the heat.

"I didn't know your were appearance fixed, after all I did get a hell lot of trouble to put some make up on you." Said a voice behind me. I turned around and faced my roommate.

"I am not appearance fixed."

"Maybe so but your a heartbreaker." I opened my mouth to speak but she stops me by raising her hand at me.

"No save your excuse. How could you say that to Derek? I get that you are not into him but I told you to not break his heart."

"I am sorry. It just slipped out. I'm not very comfortable talking about bloodsuckers and me in a same topic. "

"I get that but I thought you had more self-control than that."

"Well that's makes two of us. Look, I'm sorry Tanya and I know I messed up. What can I do to make it for you?"

"Don't make it up for me. Make it up for him." I sighed and rubbed my temples at frustration.

"This is so not what I need right now. More stress and this was supposed to be a fun and relaxing event." Tanya stayed quite for a while and sighed.

"Well its not over yet. Want to dance? And don't say you don't or cant dance we both know you do." I smiled and sighed mentally in relief. I still got my friend.

"Alright."

**TanyaPOV**

I had a couple of hangovers in my life but this was the last I needed right now, especially today when we would found out the test results. At least I thought a hangover was the last thing I needed when I found out that we had overslept. I got a glance at the clock on the wall and curse in Spanish.

"Diana! Wake up! We overslept." I screamed and rubbed my temples to calm the hangover headache.

"Huh?"

"We are going to be late for the meeting." She snapped up from the bed and looked at the clock on the wall and picked her alarm clock from her side table.

"How is it possible? I set my alarm clock on before we went to bed."

"What?" I said and was about to comment that she probably forget or the clock was broken but was interrupted by her when she cursed a very bad word in Russia.

"The batteries are dead. It must have happened during we slept." I throw my hands in the air.

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect. The last thing we needed."

"Well stop whining and star dressing." We both jumped out of our beds and started to get ready. We took the first best clothes we could find and washed our faces and combed our hairs so we at least looked human. We rushed out from the room and took the stairs to the auditorium. At the doors there was a human guard and the doors was closed. Mierda the strigoi would definitely kill us.

"Halt you are not allowed to enter the auditorium." Said the guard when he noticed us running towards the door.

"I'm sorry sir but we really need to get in. You see..." Diana started but was interrupt by him.

"No one will enter after the doors are closed. Strigoi orders."

"But you don't..." said Diana to tried to talk sense to the guard but I knew it wouldn't work so I took control over the situation and pushed the guard to the wall and grabbed his throat.

"Ok look mocoso, we rally need to get in there. So you better let us in or we will kick your culo and when the strigoi found out that you cant stop two girls from entering a room they will probably kick you out of here." I leaned closer to his faces and whispered.  
"Or worse." His eyes wided. Pathetic human. I leaned back from him but never broke the eye contact.

"I will count from ten and you better let us in before I'm done. Diez, nueve, ocho, seis cinco, cuatro, tres…"

"Ok, ok. You may enter but please don't tell the strigoi." He said desperately.

"A wise choice my amigo." I said in triumph and he opened the door and let us in.

"I never knew you could get so… violent." Said Diana in amusement and gave me one of her rare smiles. I shrugged but couldn't stop smiling.

"Only at special occasions." The auditorium was full and you could her hundreds of voices whispered at the same time. Diana and I tried our best to sneak to the boys without attract too much attention.

"Finally! Where were you guys?" said Marcel while we took our seat.

"Sorry we overslept and then we had to take care of the guard outside." Said Diana.

"How did you mange to get through him?" he asked. Diana and me shared a glace like we had a little secret and I just shrugged.

"Oh, you know. We girls have our ways." The two boys looked confused but then the room went quiet when Master Wright walked to the podium with papers in his hand, which I bet was the results.

"Welcome everyone. After a week with hard work and efforts it's finally time to announce the results. We will start with the field's positions. We start with the moroi in rank order." He said and looked at the papers.

"Michael Johnson." Huh, I knew he was the best at his element but among the moroi? I guess that guy has some tricks in his sleeve.

"Shane Adams" I clenched my jaw. I hate that fang-banger but not as much as Diana who looked neutral but I could see the anger in her eyes.

"Nicole Rinaldi" By the happy faces and hugging I saw that Nicole was the girl who stopped Shane from humiliate Diana at the first day, even if the damage was already done. Other than that she seemed like a cool person.

"Rebecca Colombera" Nicole hugged the girl next to her and I noticed she had small freckles.  
Every time Master Wright announced one of the names everyone applaud to that person and their friends hugged them and clapped in congrats. He announced the other moroi and there was joy and disappointment in the air for the moroi. I really didn't care for them. When Master Wright was going to announce the top ten dhampire´s names I felt nervous. I did well on the combat and weapons and rehearsals test but not so great on the knowledge tests. Everyone was quite and all the dhampire´s were tensed to hear the names.

"The first one and who had the highest in the rank and points among dhampire´s is." The silence was unbearable.

"Diana Kozlova." I beamed in joy and hugged Diana who looked more shocked at the fierce hug then the announcement.

"Next one is:"

"Derek Korzha"

"Tanya Martinez"

"Marcel Blanc"

"Eris Drivas" Oh. My. Dios. We were the top four! After he announced the rest of the names that were chosen which were beaming in happiness. I hugged Diana and she hugged back. The boys clapped on each other back in congrats.

"Now would the chosen ones come with me and the other masters to get your first mission?" I looked at them in surprise. Were we going to get our missions right away? The others shared same reaction as me but didn't comment and started to follow the masters out of the room. We were going to the fifth floor were the strigoi were hanging. We came to a double door. They asked us to wait outside while they would take a couple of people that would be a team to give their missions. The gang and me just leaned on a wall away from all people. We would be talking if it weren't for the strigoi outside the door watching us, which was a bummer. They started with the moroi, which took a while before it was our turn.

"Can Diana, Derek, Marcel, Tanya and Eris come in?" I looked at the others and the look on their faces said that they were relived that we all were on the same team. We also glanced at Eris as we walked in to the room. She was the girl Diana "saved" in the cafeteria from Shane. I didn't know her well but she was quite bitchy.  
The room looked like an office and I saw that Master Wright sat at the desk in front of us with the rest of the masters siting in comfortable chairs around him. We stood in the middle of the room in a row and held our chins up and our hand behind our backs. That's the position we were in when we had our masters in presences. They stared at us with their scary blood red eyes, as if they could see into our souls.

"So you are the top five of the dhampire´s." he asked.

"Yes sir we are." Said Derek.

"And which one of you got the highest?"

"Me sir." Said Diana. The masters were scanning her from head to toe and looked approvingly. Maybe too approvingly.

"You were right Afanasy. She really is something special." Said the Master Cortez from my commune.

"I wouldn't say anything less." Said who I presumed was Afanasy who looked proud over her like she was a piece of art. Then I remembered that Afanasy Gavrilov was Diana mentor. Of course he got credit for had trained the dhampire with the highest score.

"Enough gentlemen." Said Master Wright and suddenly a cough from a strigoi woman who sat among them. She was Simone Bellerose master of the French commune. Marcel told me about her. She had a reputation to be dangerous as she was beautiful and she was one of the most beautiful women I ever had seen.

"And lady. Lets us give them their missions." Master Wright turned his full attention at us. "You people are lucky. You missions is a honorfull one and be quite fun. As you may know the royal moroi and dhampire´s children are attending on hidden academies around the world and according to our sources, her majesty will be visiting one of them. The St: Vladimir academy in Montana. Ever heard of it?"

"Yes, its there we discovered the technic to take down the barriers from an attack there couple of years ago." Said Eris. Everyone knew about the attack. It was discovered that some stupid moroi who used magic close to the barrier and weakened it enough for the strigoi to enter. Thanks to that information the moroi here used magic from all the elements to take down the barriers.

"Correct and my colleagues and I have decided to it would be the perfect opportunity to let the queen and her people to be know of their upcoming destruction."

"Why? Wouldn't it be easier to destroy them discretely?" I slipped up and tensed up to except them to hit me or something but Master Wright looked calmly at me.

"They have already discovered us. Not the organization of course but they found out our other missions thanks to the bloody alchemist and they are already doing a investigation so it only matter of time until they found out what happened with you children. So we send them a message how they are going to lose this war and the strigoi will finally rise as victors. That's where you guys come in. Tomorrow you will travel to the academy and send that message."

"How are we supposed to do that sir?" asked Marcel. Master Wright rolled his eyes at us like it was obvious.

"You are teenagers. You will find a creative way to do it but do not let anyone discover you. This mission will be discrete in high meanings. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Excellent. Now go and get some sleep. You will be leaving at eight, except for Ms. Kozlova. We want to talk to you privately."

**DianaPOV**

"Excellent. Now go and get some sleep. You will be leaving at eight except for Ms. Kozlova. We want to talk to you privately." I tried not to react to the last words. Why did they want to talk with me privately? I've had done nothing wrong. Maybe they would give some extra credit to me for being to the top one? Or maybe they want to give me a secret task to the mission? Either way I just kept my face neutral and waited for the others to go. They others sent me some glances, even Derek. Our relationship hasn't improved after last night but then again we had not got the opportunity to talk.

"So what do you think?" Asked Afanasy. For a moment I thought he was talking to me but them, I saw a movement in the corner behind the masters. It was man who rose from a hidden seat in the background. But that was not the strangest part. The man was a moroi and he was a middle-aged adult. There weren't any adults in the Darz only teenagers who were not more than eighteen to twenty years old. The man looked quite fancy with his tux. His dark hair was starting to gray. He walked towards me and examined me by walking around me as if was an interesting piece of art.

"Well?" said Afanasy.

"She´s very beautiful and in excellent shape. Tell me dear are you allergic to anything?" the man asked.

"No sir. I'm not."

"Have any biologic problems like asthma?"

"No sir I'm perfectly healthy." What kind of questions were these? Why did he care if I was healthy? Why did he care for me in the first place?

"Impressive. You got some very impressive results on your tests. Tell me what's your secret."

"I train extra for three hours and pay attention at my classes and do all my homework." I answered simply.

"Do you do any extra studies?"

"Sometimes if I need to."

"What about on your freetime? Do you hang with some friends?"

"Not in Russia but here I have made some friends. They are actually on my team."

"Why didn't you have friends in Russia?" I shrugged.

"I thought it was just waste of time." Now I thought it was fun to hang out. It was nice to think something else than training.

"Interesting and who raised you all this time."

"Master Gavrilov. He's my mentor as well." He smiled and I felt a shiver go through my spine. I didn't know why but I had a really bad feeling about this man. I could feel my body scream in danger and told me to get the hell out of here.

"Well Master Gavrilov I must say you had done excellent works with this girl."

"Thank you Mr. Aaldenberg. We are done now Diana. You may go." Said Afanasy and I bowed.

"Thank you Master." I walked out of the room and faced the other dhampire´s who waited for their turn. I walked past them and got strait to the elevator. When the doors opened to the third floor I saw that the others plus Eris were standing on the other side of the hall talking. Tanya noticed me first and walked towards me.

"Hey, how did it go?" I wanted to tell her. I really wanted to talk about the wired vibes I got from Mr. Aaldenberg but I hesitated and decided not to. I didn't want to talk about it in front of Eris and decided to tell Tanya later.

"Oh nothing much. They just wanted to congratulate me that's all. So have you thought about our mission?"

"Yes and we had decided to…" started Tanya but was interrupt by Eris.

"Maybe we should continue this discussion more privately."

"All right then. We can be in our room." Said Marcel and followed him back to his room. When everyone has settled down I turned my glance at Tanya.

"So what was it you where going to say?"

"I was saying that we decided to send the message in vandalism style." I looked confused and raised my eyebrow.

"Vandalism?"

"Yeah you know, graffiti on the walls and maybe break some stuff or two. I had an idea to make posters as well." Said Marcel that seemed excited by the idea. Its seemed to be his idea.

"What kind of posters?"

"Posters of their precious queen in how we see her. So what do you think?" I didn't know what to say. I mean it sounded like a good idea but not what I had hoped as a strategy.

"I think it's ridicules." Said Eris. Marcel gave her an irritated look.

"Oh yeah? Well if you have a better idea please share." He said while gesture to the rest of us. Eris cleansed her jaw and turned her glance to the wall.

"Just as I thought. So we go by my idea." The rest of us shared glances and approved.

"I guess but how do we get all this?" asked Derek.

"Don't worry mon amis. I have it all figured it out. I know a guy from my commune who can help us with the posters. The rest goes to the store to buy some spray cans."

"I wanna help with the posters!" said Tanya and jumped from her spot. Marcel smiled sweetly at her.

"Great we can do it together."

"I want to come too." Said Eris and Marcels smile vanished and I think I saw a bit of disappointment in his eyes.

"Ok if you want to."

"So it just leaves me and Diana to get the spray cans. Easy enough I know a store not far away from here." Said Derek. Me and Derek? Buying spray cans. Great. Not.

"What about the money? I mean how much does those thing cost?" asked Tanya.

"The money isn't a problem. I got plenty on my account but we need permission to leave the organization for a short while."

"We can always sneak out and plus we do need the cans to the mission so the strigoi can´t get mad at us."

"Okay its settled then. We handle the posters while you two get the cans. Lets get to work people we need to finish this today." Said Marcel and walked out of the room whit the girls.

"Ready to go?" asked Derek.

"I just have to get my card and we are ready to go." I walked back to my room and grabbed my wallet and leather jacket and walked back to Derek who was waiting outside.

"Ready?" I nodded and we started to walk to the first floor. It was an awkward trip in the elevator. I sighed. This couldn't go on.

"Look, I'm…" We both started and laughed.

"You first." He said. I sighed again.

"I'm sorry that I snapped at you yesterday. I wasn't angry with you and I didn't have any right to take it out on you."

"It´s okay. I shouldn't have pressed you. I know that it isn't you favorite topic." We stood there for a while and I looked into his blue eyes. He was really cute. Maybe having him as a boyfriend wouldn't be so bad. I shook the idea away as soon I thought it. No boyfriends remember. I smiled and took out my hand for him to shake.

"So we are friends again?" I asked carefully. He looked at me and I saw many emotions flow in his eyes and at last he smiled and grabbed my.

"Yeah friends."

**Wow lot of things happened here. Will Derek and Diana ever be a couple? Does Michael really just want to be Diana friend or does he have a hidden agenda? How will the mission go? And last and not least, why is Mr. Aaldenberg so interested in Diana? What's his secret? Only time will tell.**

**In the meantime please review and comment of what you think?**


	6. Chapter 5: The Mission

**At last, we came to the mission. We will see action, reunions and some new and old faces in this chapter. Disclaimer: Again I don't own the VA world only the younger characters and the story they living in.**

**Chapter 5: The Mission**

**DianaPOV**

I don´t know where I am but it felt familiar somehow. I was surrender by buildings. Beautiful, fancy buildings. The only problem was that they were burning. Hells of fire swallowed the buildings and I could hear terrible screams. The air smelled like smoke, rust and blood. There were dead bodies everywhere and the forest around all this was covered in a thick fog and I could hear laughter's and saw red eyes pop out from the fog. And me? Well I just stood there in the middle of everything. With a sword in my hand drained with blood and I felt the fog sneaking behind me and whispered me to kill them. I saw a couple of people running and I killed them. One by one. Their blood splattering on my face and clothes. I could always hear the fog whispering same thing over and over again. "Kill them", "kill them".

Suddenly the ringing from my alarm clock beeped and I woke up from the dream. I stood up and shook my head. What a strange dream. I rose from the bed, shake Tanya to wake up on the way, and walked to the bathroom to get a shower. Today was the day of our mission. I felt both nervous and excited about it. Excited to finally do something in real action and finally use all my training to good use. Nervous because we were going into an enemy territory. I always heard rumors about the academies but never seen how life was there or in the Court as well. I lived in the Court when I was little of course but I barely remembered my time there plus I was a child back then and didn't know what's was going on right under my nose.  
When I was done showering, I saw that Tanya hadn't even moved a inch from the bed. I walked towards her and shook her while I whispered:

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty. Today is a very important day."

"Mmm can it wait?" she muttered and turned her back at me in the bed.

"No, now get up or I have to force you." She sighed.

"Ok, ok I will." She said and rose from the bed while yawing and walked to the bathroom. I walked to my closet to put my clothes on which I had chosen for this mission. Just a pair of jeans, long sleeved black t-shirt and a hoodie with my leather jacket. I have also packed my bag as well with a extra pair of clothes and underwear, my credit card, passport, cellphone and of course a book to kill some time under the trip. That was all I needed. When both of us where ready and packed we walked down to the garage where we would find the others. The garage had truck´s, motorcycles and other cars, everything useful transporting objects that helped our organization. We would drive to the airport and there take a plane to the airport in Missoula, which was the closest town to the academy. How we get in to the academy I didn´t know but it would be quite easy because we could just walk trough the barrier, then we had just to blend in among the other students. Piece of cake. I just hoped we would get some breakfast on the plane because I felt tired from the dream and could really need some coffee.  
The others were already there with two strigoi standing by a big car.

"You're late." said one of the strigoi.

"Sorry sir it won't happen again." Said Tanya politely.

"I hope so. Alright everyone get in." We all got into the car, which got a little crowded with seven people, but no one complained. Never complain in front of a strigoi if you don't want to look pathetic. And looking pathetic in front a strigoi was never good. After a long and quiet trip, we arrived to the airport and we boarded on the organizations private jet.

**MarcelPOV**

One thing I love about missions is that we always did it in class. The jet was luxurious with its comfortable seats, plasma TV's and last, but not least, the food. As soon as we took our seats and the jet was in the air and the flight attenders where there and ready to serve. I order a big breakfast because we didn't get to eat before we left of. Diana ordered even a bigger one. Seriously, how that girl can eat so much and not gain a pound was beyond me, maybe because she burned all the calories on the trainings sessions. After awhile one of the strigoi got up from his seat and looked at everyone.

"Are everyone done with their food?" Everybody nodded.  
"Good. Now lets talk strategy. Listen up; when we land in Missoula, we are going to take a hotel to gadder things up. Then we take a car to the woods in Montana where the academy lies. We will be parking the car a couple of kilometers away from the academy and travel there by foot hiking to the northwest part of the area. You will sneak in through there, do your task, and sneak out the same way out. Any questions?"

"What do we do if we spot any guardians? Aren´t they any guarding at the barriers?" asked Tanya.

"Yes, they are but they are not that many like it used to be in the old days so you will probably not be crossing any of them."

"And if we do?"

"Knock them out. You will probably cross with at least one and you are five so the odds are on your favor. Now how are you planning to do when you get in to the academy?" he said and glared among us and in the end lied his red eyes on me.  
"Marcel I understand that the way of the message was your idea. Tell me how you are planning to deliver it?" I gulped. Snap out of it. Now wasn't the time to chicken out. I straighten myself up and tried to look as casual, but professional, as possible.

"I thought that the message should be in a public place. You know were everybody can see it but yet somewhere we wouldn't be spotted easily. We decided the school cafeteria would be a perfect place to do it. The students will see it when they have breakfast, which will cause chaos and call the guardians. The students probably will stay around to get a look of it, which means everybody will be at the cafeteria and that will be the perfect distraction while we escape."

"What about the guardians who guards inside the barriers and the people who prepares for the queens arrival?" I felt my eyes widening. Dammit, I didn't thought that one through. As a saving angel Tanya stepped in the conversation.

"They will probably work in the guest hotel where the queen stays instead of the cafeteria and as for the guardians; they will probably prepare the security around the barrier. The queen isn't the only one who will be visiting. The student's parents will arrive as well so they have to be there to welcome them and if we stubble into a guardian we do as you said. Knock them out and hide them in some bush or something." In that moment, I could just kiss her. Somehow that thought made my face feel warm. The striogi glared at Tanya as she was interrupting something interesting like, oh, I don't know, my humiliation. Tanya just gave him a confident smile and didn't show any fear.

"Okay I hope for you sake that you are right and this missions goes well." He said and walked back to his seat. I sighed in relief and Tanya walked and took the seat next to me while giving me a big smile.

"Thanks for stepping in. I was close to look like a complete fool out there."

"Your welcome and don't worry. Everything will go smoothingly well."

"I hope so. It seems I'm in charge on this mission and that's not my thing." I said while leaning back at my seat.

"Well I believe you will do a great job captain." I turned my glance at her and smiled.

"Thanks." We stared at each other for what felt like a long time. I don't why but ever since Derek made that comment about me and Tanya I just couldn't stop staring at her when she was around. I had a couple of girlfriends in my past but none of them had made me feel this way. Tanya was…different. After an awhile Tanya broke our eye contact and looked down at the bag at my feet.

"So, do you have the posters?"

"Oui, I have them right here." I said and picked up the bag to my lap and opened it and handed a couple of posters to her. She looked at the image of the queen as a devil demon monster. It wasn't hard to make some photo shop on the picture but getting a good picture in the first place was quite difficult. It wasn't like she had a Facebook account or something you could just steal a picture from.

"She looks creepy. "

"That's the idea."

"I really want to see all their faces when they see this." She said and smiled evilly.

"Me to, after all it took a lot of work to make this into perfection." She giggled and poured two glass of orange juice from my table and handed one glass to me while rising her glass.

"Lets have a toast."

"For what?" She shrugged.

"Maybe for our precious queen." I smiled and raised my drink.

"For the queen, then."

"And for her destruction."

**DianaPOV**

Once we stopped on the road to the academy the human servants gave us a cellphone, a map and a compass that lead the way to the northwest part of the academy and they wished us good luck and told us to call them when we were ready to go home. When we where left alone we walked a bit in to the forest to be out of sight.

"So which one of you got highest points on the orientation test?" asked Marcel who held the map and the compass.

"That would be me. " said Tanya and took the map and the compass from Marcel.  
"We had to take a lot of traveling through the country back in Mexico."

"Lead they way then senorita." said Marcel gave her a smile. Tanya smiled back and started to study the map and directed us deeper in to the forest. I looked around at the environment and thought it was beautiful. This was my firs time in a real forest. The missions I did where mostly played in towns or villages. It was quite chilly out here and I noticed that we walked through a light fog. The fog reminded me of the fog in my dream and I could just visualize the red eyes and their creepy voices and me holding the sword and slaughtered all those people.

"Hey, are you okay? You seem a little distracted." Said Derek and made me snap me back to the reality. I shook my head.

"It´s nothing. Just nerves that's all."

"Why do I have a feeling that's more than that's it is?"

"Well, there isn't." I said slight irritated. I didn't like nosy people, especially when the were nosing at me. Derek knew that from the last time he at the club and let it go.

"So, what do you think it´s out there?" he said to change the subject.

"Don't worry I will protect you from the squirrels. No need to be scared." I joked. He rolled his eyes at me.

"Ha, ha very funny. You know that's not what I meant."

"I know and honestly, I don't know." I turned my glance at him.  
"What do think?" He looked ahead of us and tried to visualize.

"I see a dark gothic building and dark sky with lighting and evil laughs." Now I rolled my eyes at him and at the same time held back a smile with laughter.

"It's a vampire school not Frankenstein's laboratory."

"Whatever, its evil anyway, just likes him."

"Actually, Frankenstein wasn't evil and basically not his monster either. Frankenstein just wanted do something amazing and he created a monster, who just wanted to be accepted."

"And how do know that?" I shrugged.

"I read the book."

"Seriously?"

"What? I like classic novels, so what." I shrugged again as if it didn't matter.

"Nothing, I mean I know you are a bookworm but I thought you liked, I don't know, girl books." That actually made me smile.

"Like what? Twilight? Sorry, but I not a big fan of sparkling vampires or a shirtless werewolves. Besides reading is much healthier and more interesting then play video games all day."

"At least I got the strongest thumbs in the Darz." Okay that one almost made me laugh.

"Hey, will you stop flirting and hurry up a little." said Eris who was walking a bit ahead of us. I gave her a glare and she glared back and turned away.

"You know, I'm starting to hate that girl." said Derek and was glaring at her as well.

"That makes two of us." I said and hurried up the speed. After an hour or so of walking, we finally arrived at our destination. We arrived to an old fence and on the other side was a strange lake (A/N Fun note: They are at the spot where Jesse and his group had their initiations in Shadow kissed).

"Okay who will go first?" asked Tanya.

"I will." I said and climbed over the fence and jumped down at the other side. I sneaked through the area to see if there were any guardians around. When the coast was clear I motioned the others to come. They climbed over one by one and sneaked towards me.

"Okay, now what?" asked Derek.

"Now we find the cafeteria." Said Marcel.

"And how exactly are going do that? We have no idea where it is and we can´t just sneak around and search after it. We don't have time and what if somebody sees us." Said Eris.

"Calm down Eris. As I said before, I thought this whole thing through. I got a map of the academy and I have studied it on the way here. Come on its not that far from here." Said Marcel and led us further in to the academy. We sneaked through campus and arrived near to the building where the cafeteria was. Marcel went inside first to see if the coast was clear. After a short while, he motioned us to come in. We rushed in to the building to find it completely empty.

"We are lucky no one is here. Not even the food ladies." I said.

"Excellent. Okay people listen up. You know what to do. Tanya help me with the posters and the rest of you vandalise. We have a less then an hour to this, so go." Ordered Marcel and we all started to work. Eris started to push and destroy tables and chairs while Derek and I started to spray different hateful messages at the walls. Tanya and Marcel were just throwing the poster in the air everywhere.

"Try not to make so much noise. We don't want anyone to hear us." Said Marcel to Eris who pushed a table, which made a loud crashing noise.

"Well excuse me but vandalism isn't exactly quiet event to do."

"Then make it quiet."

"Just do your job and I will do mine."

"At least I do my job probably." Eris was walking towards Marcel to probably punch him in the face when I heard light footsteps behind the inside entry.

"If you don't shut up I will vandalise your face." She said.

"Shut up! Both of you." I hissed at them.  
"I think I heard something." We were all quiet for a while listing for any sound.

"I don't hear anything. Maybe you just imagine it." Said Tanya. I was going to agree with her when suddenly a couple of guardians stormed out from the inside door and sprinted towards us.

"Guardians! Retreat! Retreat!" Derek screamed. We dropped everything we held in our hands and started to run to the outside entrance but they caught in on us and tried to catch us. They probably thought that we would have stopped running and surrendered in the spot, which was a mistake. We surprised them and mange to fight them off and everyone were out of the building except for Eris who was still fighting one guardian. I run towards them and surprised the guardian so he let her go. I turned around to her and screamed:

"Run!" I turned around and faced my opponent who touched the place on the face where I punched him. He was actually kind of hot, I noticed. Almost two meters high with dark brown eyes and dark brown hair that hanged down to his cheeks. He was maybe two, three years older than I was. Hot or not, I was going to kick his ass.  
I flung toward to punch him but he avoided it. I tried to kick but he caught my leg and dragged me down to the floor. I kicked again and hit his chin and he let me go. I started to crawl away and faced another guardian. He tried to punch me but I slapped it away and kicked him in the nuts. He bent down and I kicked his head down to the floor. I started to run but someone caught my hair and dragged me backwards. It was the same guardian I fought before and he pinned me to the ground. I caught his head between my feet and dragged over me and to the floor forwards me. I punched his nose and he caught my arm and pulled me down. We started to wrestle on the floor. We were rolling, punching and kicking at each other but I couldn't fight him off me. He was too strong. No, he was too skilled. It was as if he knew my every move. In the end, the other guardians had recovered and dragged me from the floor and pinned me to the wall. One of them pointed a gun at me.

"You okay?" one of the guardians asked my opponent on the floor.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said and rose from the floor.  
"What now?"

"Now its time for questioning." I tried desperately to figure out a way to escape but I was outnumbered, especially with a gun pointed at me and the others would be gone by now. So, I did the only thing I could. I surrendered.

**AndrePOV**

I was on my way to the school cafeteria and thought about today's events. Today was parent's day and all the students would see their families after about three years time. Ever since the strigoi started to kidnap moroi and dhampire children, we have been kept isolated in the academies for our own safety and barely saw our parents. I had been kept contact with my parents through Skype, which didn't happen very often. That's how it is when your parents were the king and queen of the moroi but today I got to see them again. I was happy of course, I have missed them a lot but when the queen was around there was always royal parties or events that she has to attend to with her family. I never liked those events, in fact I hated them. Go around and mingle with snobby, boring people about gossip, fashion, politics and other boring things. I also have to pretend to like it but then again it´s not that different from here in school. When you were the queen's son that rather makes you a very important person and people have expectations of you. I was the most popular guy in school and was leader of every royal groups and clubs, everything to bring a good reputation to my family and I hated it. I hated to smile and pretend to be friends with people who would dump me as soon I as did any kind of mistake or inappropriate for a royal with my reputation and yet I suffered through all that. My parents didn't know how I felt about it. My dad didn't like it and I knew he feared that was going to be a one of the snobby royals. My mother was more proud of me but worried that I was too engaged to this lifestyle especially when I was a spirit user and all the stress would effect the darkness, which it did time to time. Because of that, I pretended to be okay with it in front of my parents. The only ones who know how I felt about it was my twin sister Miranda, her best friend Anya, my cousin Mason and a friend named Ivan. When I was with them, I could relax and don't have to be careful of what I said or act and be everyone's prince charming, but I probably wouldn't be worrying about it today. I was after all going to spend the whole day with my family and barely with any other royals so it was okay.

When I was halfway to the cafeteria, I saw group of moroi girls whisper eagerly about something. Probably some new hot gossip running around. I was always surprised how fast the rumours travelled through the school; it was as if everyone had a mental bond with each other. I was going to keep walking when I heard the words "the queen" and "vandalism" from them. I turned around and walked towards them.

"Excuse me ladies, but what did you say about the queen?" All the girls were shocked and speechless that prince Andre talked to them in high person. After a few seconds, one of them snapped out of it and bit her lower lip nervously.

"There has been vandalism in the school cafeteria." I sighed out in disappointment.

"So, it just some stupid school prank."

"No, that's what's weird. I doesn't seem to be just a prank. There were awful posters of the queen and hateful words sprayed in the walls."

"What! Are you serious?" The girl nodded and I ran to the cafeteria to find a mass of students stand outside eager to see what's inside but I saw some guardians standing in their ways and told them to go back to the dorms. I looked through the crowed for a familiar face and saw Mason.

"Mason!" My cousin Mason Castile was a dhampire novice and son to my aunt Jillian Dragomir and her husband Eddie Castile. The family have gone through some crap for the inappropriate relationship. The royals were even bulling Mason when he was younger but it stopped when it was decided that he would become my personal guardian and for the fact that I accepted him. He was also my best friend.

"There you are. I looked everywhere for you." He said. He was at least a head shorter than me but much muscular and had sand blond hair and the same green Dragomir eyes as me.

"What's going on? I heard that someone vandalised the cafeteria in hatred to my mum." I saw how his face became sadder.

"It´s true." I started to say something when I was interrupted by a voice coming from the crowd.

"Andre!" We turned our glances to the crowd and saw Miranda and Anya coming towards us. You couldn't actually believe that Miranda was my twin sister. We had very different appearances. I had platinum blond hair with jade green eyes while she had ink black hair with ice blue eyes. She also happened to be fire user. We were like younger gender-opposite versions of our parents. Aside from that, we had almost the same personality. She hated also to pretend to be one of the snobby royals and even though she wasn't into the royal stuff as much as I was she still was the daughter of the queen. At least she used to hate it until she started dating Lukas Zeklos, which by the way was a total jerk under his sneaky charm.  
"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Well, let see. I woke up, brushed my teeth's, changed my clothes and walked out from the dorm to the cafeteria to eat some breakfast. Usually I walk around the dorm one time to waste some time but…"

"Okay, okay I get. It was a stupid question. No need to be sarcastic about it."

"Especially now of all times." Said Anya Drozdov. She and Miranda have been best friends as long as I can remember and she became like a second sister to me. She had light brown curly hair and green eyes. She was pretty as Miranda, which says a lot. She was also an earth user.

"How bad is it in there?" I asked.

"Totally ruined. Looks like we have to eat in our dorms or something." She said.

"Like that wasn't enough. They made also these horrible posters as well." Said Miranda and held up a poster.

"Let me see." I snapped it out of her hand and looked at it. I started to boil with anger. How could anyone do this? I knew there were some rebels who were against my mother but the have backed off for a quite awhile since the law of mum being queen as long she had a family relative. Rebels or maybe some stupid school prank. Whoever did this was going to pay, I swore on god on that.

"Andre." I waked from my thoughts and looked into Masons worried face and I saw everyone else have the same look as well. They always had it when I felt angry, a sign from the darkness. I sighed and calmed myself and the darkness faded away. For now at least.

"I'm okay. Have they any idea who did it?"

"We are not sure. Maybe. Things are a little hectic right now." Said Anya

"I hope they did. They better be." said Miranda angrily.

"Maybe we can ask Ivan. I'm sure if they find out who did it then he would know." Said Anya. Ivan Daniels was a guardian who took his exams last year and now working as a guardian at this school. He would be Anya's guardian when she took her exams this spring. When he was just a novice he was part of our group and just like Anya became on of the family. Anya had a huge crush on him so it wasn't a surprise that she thought of him.

"You right but where is he?" said Miranda.

"I have no idea. He could be anywhere when things are like this." Said Mason. I searched around to find a tall guy with brown hair hanging to his cheeks.  
"Wait… there he is." Said Mason.

"Ivan!" screamed Anya and ran towards him. We all followed and to my surprise, I saw his face had a couple of bruises.

"Oh my god Ivan. What happened to you? Are you okay? Do you need Andre to heal you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine Anya. Seriously."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm a guardian after all."

"Which pretty much the reason we were looking for you? Have you heard of what happen in the cafeteria?" I asked.

"Of course, I heard of it. This school has the world record in fast gossip, remember." He said with smile. He didn't smile very often. Only around us and his family.

"Did you know who did this?" Mason asked.

"Yes, I actually saw them do it and stopped them."

"Who were they?" asked Miranda.

"I'm not sure. There were five of them but we only mange to catch one. A dhampire girl in your age. Never seen her before. Tough fighter though. She almost beat me." Anya flipped her hair and gave him a gentle smile.

"Of course, she couldn't. You are the best guardian around here." She said.

"Are you sure you never seen her before." I asked ignoring Anya's flirting.

"Not among of all the novices I have seen."

"If she is a dhampire she can not be one of he rebels. They are all moroi." observed Mason.

"Maybe she and her group were upset for begin away from their family so long and took out it on mum." I said.

"I don't thinks that's why they did it." Said Ivan.

"What´s making you say that?"

"The group didn't just destroy stuff and through posters all around. They even sprayed some words on the walls as well. They were about "your time is soon up" or "you cannot win." Whatever they were mad at it isn't just the queen. I think it's the whole vampire race."

"Why? I mean if the girl you captured is a dhampire then the rest of the gang most be as well and they are half moroi. Why would they hate their own race?" I asked.

"I don't know but she is in the guardian building to be questioned right now. Maybe we get some answers."

"If you do, will you tell us?" said Miranda.

"I know you are upset about this but I cant. It´s guardian business. I shouldn't have told you about the girl anyway."

"It hasn't stopped you before. Come on Ivan. It's us. We wont go around and running our mouths. We just want to find out what's going on and why." I said. He looked at us for a short while and then sighed.

"Fine, if I found out something I will pass it too you but this is the last time. Seriously, I´m few mistakes away from being fired because of you."

"Don't worry we have our mum to back you when the day comes." I assured him.

"Good to know. I have to go. See you guys later."

"You're coming to the family dinner tonight right." Anya screamed after him.

"I´ll see if I can make it." He said over his shoulder and walked away.

"So what do you guys think?" said Miranda after Ivan left.

"I'm thinking if we are getting any food. I'm starving." Said Mason while petting his stomach.

"That's not what I meant Mase."

"Let it go Miranda." I said.

"Let it go! How can you even say that?"

"Because we can´t do nothing about it at the moment and I agree with Mase. We should look for some food." Anya laid he hand on her BFFs shoulder to calm her down.

"He´s right Mira. We all could use some food in our stomachs."

"Fine. We can go to the feeders. You guys coming?"

"I would if I drank plasma. No, I got some snack in my room."

"What about you?"

"Huh, no you guys can go head. I´ll catch up with you later okay."

"If you say so. Later." She said and walked away to the feeder's house with Anya. I started walking in the other direction and saw that Mason was following me.

"Weren't you on your way to your room to eat some hidden snacks?"

"I would but I have to keep eye on you. You can maybe fool the girls but not me, man. I know you are feeling…"

"Crazy?"

"I was going to say bitter."

"Yeah, sure you would. Look, I'm fine. I just want some time alone okay."

"I can´t just leave you alone when a gang of vandalising teenagers are lurking around."

"I will hide in the attic at the church. They never find my there."

"Andre…"

"I will be fine. I promise. If you want something, you know where to find me."

"Okay but stay safe."

"Yeah, yeah." I said and started to walk to the church.

**DianaPOV**

You know on television were there is one good cup and a bad cup or in my case a good guardian and a bad guardian. There was only one guardian who questioned me and he was bad, in many ways like a bad haircut, bad temper and a bad breath. God he´s breath stank. It was hard to stay neutral and stare in the open air when air puffs who smelled like coffee and gods knows what, at you. And he was so old. Shouldn't he be retired by now? I think his name was Stan Stalto or something. I was in a dark cold questionsroom like in the movies. I sat on a chair near a table and had two guardians watching behind me while this "bad" guardian questioned me.

"I'm asking for the last time. Name the rest of the students who helped you to vandalise the cafeteria." I was looking at the ceiling and as an answer to his question I turned my glance at him without showing any emotion and then turned my glance up again. I swear he was about to rip his hair out in frustration in any minute now.  
"You are only making it worse for yourself." He said across the table that was between us. Nice spider web I thought to the celling.  
"You could be suspended." Oh, look there is a spider. A big spider.  
"You could even be expelled." It was quite unbelievable that a spider could be so big. I wonder what kind of food it ate to be that big.  
"Stop looking at the roof and look at me." In a fast movement, I pushed the table with my feet so it hit him across the room. I leaned back and did a backward somersault while kicking the other guardians who rushed forwards me after the act. They both fell to the floor and I hit both their heads to make them unconscious. I ran to the door and carefully opened it to see if there were any guards outside. There weren't any. I sneaked out of the room and looked for an exit out of this dump. I didn't get far until I got spotted by two other guardians. They saw me and told me to stop while they walked towards me. Yeah as if. I started to run and they followed me and eventually caught up with me. I managed to fight them off one by one smoothly and quickly. Instead wasting my time to find the door out of here, I looked for a window to escape through. I found one, lucky I didn't have to jump down from many floors to the ground.

I hided in the bushes and observed the area for anymore guardians or any moroi. After the coast was clear I sprinted out from the bushes and just ran among the trees so no one would see me. After a while, I came to a big building. A church, which surprised me because they didn't seem to be religious from all the rumours I had heard about the royal moroi. I guess I could hide in there for a while and make up a plan. No one would look for an escaped prisoner in a church. At least I hoped they wouldn't. I sneaked in to the church and find it complete empty. I had to find more secure hiding place. I couldn't just hang around here. What if the priest or someone else saw me. I walked to a door at the back of the church. The door leaded to a small creaking stairs that led up to a dusty old attic. It was dark in the attic except for the small candles at the big painted window. I walked to the candles that shined beautifully next to the window. Now why would there be lighting candles in an old church attic.

"Beautiful isn't it." I tensed up and turned around and saw a blond moroi guy stand on the other side of the room with a flask in his hand, probably alcohol. I rushed towards him and pinned him at the wall behind him.

"Make a sound and you die." I hissed in his face. He looked at me with wide shocked eyes and then glared me as if he was observing me.

"It´s you. You the girl they captured after you sabotage the cafeteria." I was surprised he knew about that. I thought the guardians kept me private from the other students, which I presumed he was.  
"How did you escape?" he asked.

"Your guardians aren't so skilled as they think." I flip and pinned him so his face and chest was facing the wall. He grunted in pain.

"Ouch. Man, you are strong."

"Don't underestimate a girls strength."

"Yeah, I think I got the message. So, what are you going to do now. Knock me down? Kill me? Keep me as a prisoner? Sooner or later the guardians are going to find you. You can't hide here forever."

"Shut up." But he's was right. I can't hide here forever and now I got a stupid blond guy to deal with. I could knock him down and escape from here and mange to sneak through all guardians. It could work. I could certainly fight them all off but there was a risk that I could fail. No, I have to think of a good strategy but I didn't have much to go on. I was handcuffed and had a blond guy and no weapon. They took my bag when they captured me and examined my body after hidden weapons and took my gun and knife. Think Diana think. Then it hit me. Maybe this blond dude could be helpful after all.

"Common Blondie. Lets take a walk." I said and dragged him back to the stairs.

"A walk? Where?"

"I'm getting out of this hellhole and you my friend make a good hostage."

"It not nice to call the church a hellhole." He said while we were walking down the stairs.

"I didn't mean the church. I meant the whole school."

"Yeah well good luck with that."

"I don't need your luck and shut up. Try something and I will snap your neck in a second." I said while we were entering the church main room.

"Okay, okay but please tell me something. Why did you and you friends vandalise the cafeteria?" Ok that's it. I turned him around to face me and tangled the chain of the handcuffs around his throat.

"Okay look. What with I will snap your neck don't you understand." He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated. Suddenly he wasn't angry at me. Instead, he looked at me as if he observed every detail in my face and suddenly his eyes widen in disbelief.

"Diane?" I snapped out. The where only one person in the world who ever called me that and who I thought I would never see again and suddenly I didn't see a teenage boy. I saw a small boy with blond hair and big green laughing eyes. Just like him but so much younger.

"Andre?" Suddenly the door to the church opened and the guardian I fought before came running towards me and knocked me down. I wasn't prepared for the attack which gave him a advantage and after an other wrestling match, shorter from then the one before, he pinned me down hard on the floor. I grunted. Dammit not again.

**AndrePOV**

"I'm telling you. It was her." I said to Miranda while we were walking to our parent's apartment in the guesthouse. After the events in the church, I was sent to the nurse. I got some blue marks and a light mark on my throat but other then that I was fine. After that, I went back to my room to change clothes. Miranda had met me on the way to ask what took me so long and I told her what happened.

"Andre, Diana is dead. She always has been for thirteen years now. That psycho girl hit your head too hard."

"No she didn't. Okay maybe but that's not the point. I swear to god that girl is Diana."

"So your saying that a brunette dhampire girl who vandalise the cafeteria, escaped and fought down a couple a guardians, attacked you and tried to keep you hostage, is Diana Belikova."

"Yes!" She rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Are even listening to what your saying?"

"Yes, are you listing to what I am saying?"

"Andre it's enough. That girl is not Diana. Diana died thirteen years ago when she was four years old by the strigoi and that's the end of her story. Now please drop this and whatever you do. Don't say anything to mum and dad about this, and especially not to aunt Rosie and uncle Dimitri. I'm begging you, okay. And we both know that I hate to beg." With those last words she knocked the door and opened it and walked in. Our parents were sitting on a couch and looked up when we came in.

"Mum! Dad!" Miranda screamed and ran to hug them. Our mother hugged her and I could see tears starting to build in her eyes. She looked formal and majestic as usual.

"Oh, Miranda. I've missed you my baby girl." She said and kissed her forehead.

"I missed you to." Miranda said and pulled out from mothers embrace to hug dad. Our dad looked less formal. He wore a nice suit even though we all knew he hated to wear them. After they hugged dad glanced up to me and smiled.

"Well aren't you going to say hi to you parents?" I smiled back and hugged them both.

"Hi mum. Hi Dad."

"It's so good to see you both. It's been far too long." Mum said and petted my head while I was hugging dad.

"You two have grown up so much." Said a voice behind me.

"Aunt Jill!" Miranda said and hugged the women who sat on a chair next to the couch.

"Hi, how's my favourite niece?" she said and brushed some hair from Miranda's face who couldn't stop smiling so her fangs showed.

"Aunt Jill I am your only niece."

"And that's why your are my favourite."

"Did you bring presents?"

"Eager as always." Said a man behind the chair.

"Uncle Eddie!" she beeped and hugged him too. Wow, my sister was on fire with hugs today.

"Easy there. Wow, you have really become tall." He said.

"Is there any change that I get to get a hug." Said a voice across the room.

"Of course aunt Rosie." Said Miranda and hugged her. She glanced up at Dimitri and smiled. "Do you want a hug?"

"No, thank you I'm fine." He laughed slightly. Everything seemed to be great and everyone was happy. I started to look for a seat when Mason saw that I wanted to sit, he offered his seat on a chair next to his mum. Typical Mase. Always putting my comfort before his.

"Andre what's that on your throat?" he suddenly asked. My hand automatically reached to my throat and touched the light scar.

"Huh? Nothing." I said lamely.

"It´s look like a scar. Did someone hurt you?" said Mason who became all serious and ready to fight.

"No."

"Yes, the crazy dhampire girl they capture after she vandalise the cafeteria." Said Miranda across the room.

"What! Are you okay?" said mum and walked towards me to take a look. I moved out from her reach.

"I'm fine! Seriously, she didn't hurt me too badly."

"Here let me heal it."

"Mum I'm fine." I assured her but she didn't buy it an gave me strict don't-be-stupid glance. Finally I sighed.  
"Fine." She reached her hand to my throat and I felt how the warm tingling magic flowed from her into me.

"There all better. Now tell us about this girl."

"Mum its nothing. Just some stupid girl who pulled a prank that's all." said Miranda across the room. I didn't know why but suddenly I became angry at her.

"Prank. A prank! That wasn't a prank and you know it. It wasn't just random girl either. I'm actually glad I run into her." I burst out.

"Andre." Said Miranda in a warning tone.

"What do you mean you were glad to run into her? You're not falling for her or something." asked Mason who looked all confused at me and Miranda.

"Yeah girls who threats me and keeps me hostage are so hot." I said sarcastically.

"This isn't funny. What do you know about this girl?" said dad and rose from his seat towards me.

"Dad its nothing." Said Miranda.

"No it isn't. I even know who she is." I said.

"Andre." Said Miranda who started to look pissed.

"Who?" asked Mason.

"Andre I swear to God shut up your mother fucking mouth right now." Miranda screamed.

"Miranda Rhea Moira Ozera Dragomir!" said mum in shock.

"Sorry mum but I mean it. Don't tell them."

"Tell us what?" asked aunt Jill.

"That girl, who was vandalising the cafeteria and captured me, is… Diana." There was this big awkward silence. Everyone looked at me as if I had lost my damn mind. I glanced to the Belikov couple and I saw in their auras that became darker with sorrow, pain and anger.

"Andre Fredrick Ozera Dragomir. How could you even say that?" Said mum who shot small glances to Rose and Dimitri in empathy.

"Because it's true."

"Diana is dead." Said Dimitri in a hard cold voice that made my toes crumble.

"No, she isn't."

"How can you be so sure?" said Miranda who looked very pissed at me.

"Moments before the guardian found us and captured her again, I got a good look at her face. I thought it looked familiar and then it hit me. She looked just like aunt Rosie. And then when I realize it I called her Diane and then she recognize me too and called me Andre." This has to be the most awkward moment in the history of the world. Both Rose and Dimitri turned their glances away from me as if the sight of me hurt them. I guess it did. I just told them their long dead daughter was alive. Of course, I knew it would hurt them when I dropped the bomb and I knew they will get angry with me but that didn't change the fact, that dhampire girl was Diana Belikova. I just have to prove it to them.

**Well it was a happy family reunion while it lasted. Now the question is what Rose and Dimitri are going to do with this new information. We will find out in the next chapter but until then review of what you think. Please :)**


	7. Chapter 6: The Strigoi Girl

**Disclaimer: I don't own the VA world or the older generation, only the younger and the story they living in.**

**Chapter 6: The Strigoi girl**

**LissaPOV**

"Your majesty." said a familiar voice behind us while we were waiting in the guardians building.

"Guardian Petrov! It's so nice to see you again." I said and smiled to Alberta, who was still after all this years, captain of the guardians at this academy. She looked old but was still strong and steady in her posture. It took more than age to take down this woman.

"Nice to see you too. It's nice to see you others as well." She said and did some small talk to Dimitri and Rose. After awhile she turned her attention to me and became all business.  
"You asked to see me."

"Yes, I liked to meet the girl you captured who vandalized the school cafeteria and attacked my son." I said.

"You heard of it." She said a little shocked. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Weren't I supposed to know?"

"Not at the moment. We have tried to restore the order here before you knew about it."

"Well, tell me about it now and take me to this girl while you at it." I commended.

"Yes your majesty." She said and escorted us.  
"According to our archive, this girl isn't one of our students." She informed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, your majesty. We looked all of our files of the students who go in the high school grade but found no match." _Interesting. Just like the other strange teenagers._

"So, she is from outdoors. Do you have any idea where she came from?"

"No. We tried to ask her but she always remind silent. Well, until she attacked our guardians." Alberta said not so pleased with the last part.

"Impressive from such a young girl." Said Christian.

"How much I hate to admit it, I agree. Her fighting style is different from ours. It´s more acrobatic according to the others."

"Someone must train her well."

"Very well but not well enough to escape from the academy." We arrived to a door with two guardians standing outside. One of them noticed us and bowed.

"Guardian Petrov. Your majesty."

"Is the girl inside?" asked Alberta.

"Yes."

"Good." They opened the door and Alberta turned towards me.  
"My queen I recommend that some of my guardians accompany you under this meeting. The girl is quite unpredictable."

"I have enough guardians thank you but I like to you to be present."

"As you wish your majesty." Alberta turned around and opened the door to let my guardians walk in to take position. Only Rose and Dimitri stayed behind Christian and me.  
"You have a important visitor. I hope that you will show her more respect then you showed us." Said Alberta to someone in the room, probably to the girl. She turned around and stepped aside so I could enter. The room was filled with guardians at the wall and in the middle of the room was a table and behind it sat a girl in handcuffs. I could see why Andre thought that she was Diana. She had thick dark brown hair like Rose and her brown eyes and light tan. I sat at the chair on the other side of the table and gave her a gentle smile.

"Hello." The girl said nothing just stared at me with an emotionless expression. I studied her face and saw some resembles of her parents but it didn't mean anything. People could look alike even if they weren't related. And honestly I don't know if I wanted her to be Diana or not. Either way it´s going to hurt Rose and I couldn't stand her feel all this pain. I was afraid that she would be depressed like she was when they realized that their daughter was gone forever.  
I looked in her aura and saw it was mainly blue with red spots with a golden halo around all of it. Strange. The colors were quite dark (except the gold) which represented dark emotions like irritation, anger and nervousness. I had feeling she wasn't going act different to me than the guardians.  
"How are you feeling? I hope they didn't harm you too much." Still no answer. I wonder if I had to use compulsion to make her talk but I was a little afraid how she would react so I tired to continue to be polite.  
"What's your name?" The girl leaned toward the table to bring her face closer to me. We stared in each other's eyes for quite a while until she spit right in my face. I winced back from her and while the guardians dragged her back.

"Lissa are you okay?" Christian asked.

"Yeah, just give me napkin." Someone gave me a napkin and I dried the spit away from my face.  
"Thanks." I said and gave back the napkin to Christian.

"How dare you spit on your queen." Said one of the guardians.

"She's not my queen." She answered. I noticed that she had a light Russian accent.

"Of course, she's your queen. She is Queen Vasilisa Dragomir of all moroi and dhampire and therefore your queen."

"I have no queen." She said while leaning back to her chair. She turned her glance to Christian and glared at him.  
"I don't have king either."

"Then what do you have?" I asked curiously.

"Master´s. Masters who will take you all down. So you better enjoy your luxurious lifestyle, the time with your kids, make love with your husband while you still can because soon you will not have neither of them."

"Who? Who are you masters?" I asked.

"It's quite obvious. I'm sure your smart enough to figure that out." She said while she grinned deviously.

**RosePOV**

There was a silence after the girl spoke. I was furious. Not only did she spit on my best friend, she also threatened, just not Lissa, but all of us. I wanted to go towards her and force to tell her whom these masters were. Suddenly I felt someone grab my hand. I looked down at the hands up to Dimitri who gave me look who said "don't do anything reckless and impulsive". I sighed and looked back to the girl who just sat there and looked at our shocked, confused, angry faces in amusement while she was playing with her necklace which I noticed was a simple necklace chain with… a blue eye. _No, it_ _couldn't. Could it?_ I dragged back my hand from Dimitri´s and ignored the others silent protest and walked towards the girl who just looked at me a little shockingly but turned back to her emotionless mask.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Can I look at your necklace?" She took a hard grip on the necklace and glared at me.

"No."

"I'm not going to ask again. Give me the necklace."

"No."

"Rose." Said Lissa in the background.

"Give me the necklace."

"No!"

"Guardian Hathaway your out of line. What difference does it do if she gives the necklace or not?" Said Alberta using my original guardian title. It didn't happen that guardians title names changed because many didn't get married unlike me, but I decided to keep my original title to make it less confusing when people spoke to me or Dimitri, even if I still was Mrs. Belikova. I was going to argue against her. She didn't understand. She didn't know the pain of losing you only child and thirteen years latter find out that she might be alive. And I could only be certain if my daughter was alive or not if I got my hands on that necklace. Then I came up with an idea. I straightened myself up and sighed.

"As you wish." I said and started to walk slowly away. When the girl let loosened her grip on her necklace I acted and snapped the necklace right from her neck.

"Hey, give it back." She screamed and started to reach after me but was dragged back by some guardians. I ignored her and opened my palm. I almost drop the necklace when I saw it. Suddenly I wasn't in a dark room with a bunch of guardians instead I was in a my living room back at court sitting on a couch with a little girl on my lap who played with my hair.

**-Flashback-**

I told her to stop playing with my hair and she stopped only to turn and play with my nazar around my neck.

"You like the nazar?" I asked.

"Da." she nodded. I smiled at her and started to take off the necklace and put it around her neck.

"You can have it. My mother gave it to me when I was younger and she got it from grandpa Abe and now I give it to you. "

"Really?"

"Yes, it´s called a nazar and is supposed to protect you from evil. It helped mama a great deal." She looked at the nazar in excitement and joy.

"It pretty. Spaisbo mama." She said and hugged my neck. I hugged her back.

"You're welcome and remember to wear it always. Promise mama that." She released me from her embrace and gave me one of her beautiful smiles.

"I promise."

**-End Flashback-**

I covered my mouth with my hand in disbelief and looked from the necklace to the girl who sat there looking at me.

"Hello mama. Long time no see."

**DimitriPOV**

"Rose! Roza! Wait." I screamed after Rose who ran out from the room after dropping the necklace on the table. I immediately recognized the necklace even if I hadn't seen it in many years. Rose blue nazar. The one she gave away to Diana only a month before our trip to Russia. I followed her to the little garden, which was surrounded by walls of glass. I remembered to be with her back in our days in the academy after her hearing of the guardians during the qualifying exam. She stopped and stood in the middle of the garden. I walked towards her and put my hands on her shoulders.  
"Roza." I said carefully. She turned around and her eyes were so close to tears.

"It's her. Oh my god Dimitri it really is her." She said and fell to my arms to hug me while crying silently. I hugged her back and whispered soothing word in Russia. I could understand her sorrow and pain. I couldn't believe it either. Our thirteen-year dead daughter was in the building… alive. Our little Dina. I thought she looked quite familiar when I first saw her but I pushed the possibility away. It hurt too much to hope and now all I could feel was just grief and confusion. Grief because it was her. Confused because I didn't know what to do about it.

"Rose! Dimitri!" Someone screamed. We both turned around and saw Lissa and Christian walk ing towards us. Lissa run straight to Rose and hugged her.

"Oh Rose. I'm so sorry. I…"

"You don't have to apologize Liss. It isn't your fault."

"I know but I cant… I'm… How are you feeling?" At that Rose snapped and I saw her anger and pain building inside her. She pushed away from Lissa´s embrace.

"How I am feeling? How I am feeling! My daughter who I thought was dead for thirteen years I still alive. How do you think I feel?!" she said half screaming.

"Hey, don't take it out on her. She was just worried about you." snapped Christian to her.

"Its´ okay Christian. She's right. It was a stupid question to ask. What I meant is there anything I can do for you? Both of you." Rose just shook her head in defeat and confusion. I understood her.

"I don't know Liss. I don't know."

"I understand that you're upset and need some time to deal with all this but whatever happens to her is up to you both."

"Really?" she asked in both in disbelief and as she hadn't thought about it and honestly neither did I.

"Of course, she's your daughter after all." She said and hugged Rose again. Rose hugged her back and buried her face on her shoulder. It's was quite admirable to see that even after all this years they were still as good friends as the were back in the old days.

"Thanks Liss."

"No problem." She said and released from their embrace.  
"I will leave you two alone but if you need anything, anything, don't hesitate to call me okay."

"We will." I said. She nodded and walked together with Christian out of here. I led Rose to one of the chairs and letting her sit on my lap while I held her in my arms. We sat there for a while until Rose sighed.

"I can´t really believe it´s her. I mean she so different. She feels more like a stranger." She said in weak voice. I kissed her hair.

"It´s has been thirteen years Roza. Many things have happen under that time."

"And we weren't part of that time." I closed my eyes so no tears would escape and hugged her harder against me.

"I know." She noticed my pain and soothed my cheek with her hand. We both looked into each other eyes and suddenly a little smile escaped on her lips.

"You know what's weird."

"What?"

"When she was younger she was more like me but now I see more you in her." I smiled.

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"She got your eyes and that serious Belikov face." I couldn't help but laugh at that.  
"I'm serious. It´s like seeing a female version of you."

"Funny because I thought that she was younger version of you." She laughed a little while shacking her head.

"What ever are going to do?" she said.

"I don't know. All we know that she working for an enemy and she has absolutely no respect towards us." She sighed and we were quiet for a while until I noticed that she had her thinking face on.

"What are you thinking?"

"Huh?"

"I see it in your face that you are on to something."

"I was just thinking of these masters she mentioned."

"What have you come up with?"

"Well, Diana was kidnapped by the strigoi, right and she said that her masters who wanted to destroy us all were pretty obvious so it must be the strigoi." I thought about it and followed her train of thoughts.

"The other children that the strigoi kidnapped. We always thought that they killed them but what if they were building an army."

"And because they were too young to understand how the world works, they were easy to manipulate and think we are the enemy." I thought the whole thing trough and nodded in agreement.

"That´s make sense. If they managed to manipulate the children and started to train them, they could have an army with our own resources."

"But where? I mean it´s must be some head quarter for them to train." I sighed. Now that's was a good question. I sighed.

"I don't know. They have hidden quite well these past years."

"And our daughter is the only one with these answers."

"I don't think she will cooperate with us that easily."

"I know but if she thinks we are the enemy, so the strigoi must have come up lies about us. If we can somehow prove that those lies are false maybe she realize that we are the good guys and cooperate with us." I thought that plan through.

"It might work but how are we going to make her realize that?" She though about it for a while and then smiled.

"I think I have an idea."

**DianaPOV**

I hate cells. Not that I ever been in one before but this cell is just plain, cold and… boring. I thought these cells would be creepier and scary with skeletons and rats. At least then, I had something's to look at instead of some plain gray walls, which seemed to shrink more and more.  
There were guardians standing not far outside my cell. I tried to think of an escape plan but I hadn´t much to go on, besides I couldn't stop see my mothers face when she rushed out from the hearing room. I thought she would be angry and paralyzed when she found out who I was but she was shocked and…sad. I saw the tears building in her eyes when I confirmed who I was, which I shouldn't have but in that moment I wanted her to know that I was alive and that I wasn't her little girl anymore. Just a girl who was going to destroy her and the rest of her sick people, but when I saw the grief and pain in her eyes something brooked inside me. Maybe she still cared for me. Maybe she still loved me after all this years. I mentally shook my head and gave myself a mental bitch slap. _Don't think like that. It doesn't matter what she feels for you. She and the rest of them must be destroyed for the goodness of the world._

Suddenly there was something going on outside my cell. My guards were talking to someone. After a while, they stayed away and someone walked towards my cell. It was the hot guy who I was fighting in the cafeteria and the church before. I sat up in my bed, crossed my arm across my chest, and put my emotionless mask on.

"Hey again. Nice to see you without me kicking your ass." He said with small amusement.

"You only managed that because I was outnumbered, so don't flatter yourself."

"Right… anyway I´ve got a present for you." I raised my eyebrow in confusion and in surprise.

"A present?" He nodded and put my bag they confiscated when they captured me on my cell floor. I walked to the bag, looked around in it, and found a paper that looked like a schedule.

"What's this?" I asked and showed him the paper. He crossed his arms on his chest and smiled.

"Congratulations, you're a official a student here." I looked him in disbelief.

"You got to be kidding me."

"Nope it's real. Orders from her majesty herself."

"Why would the Queen want me to attend this school? I spit her face and threaten her and all of her people."

"Yeah, she told me about that. Quite impressive. The spitting part not the threating. You got some nerves to make that move. You were lucky she didn't punish you but then again the queen isn't much of a punishing type."

"You sound like you know her." He shrugged.

"I'm friends with her children so our paths have crossed time to time."

"Wow, you must feel special."

"Not quite. I am not that arrogant."

"Well kind of hard of me to guess since I don't know you."

"But you will." I raised my eyebrow in confusion.

"What do mean?"

"Did you really think we were just going to let you wander around the campus without a guardian who watches you all times?"

"And I assume you will be that guardian."

"Correct. So, shall we start this with by introducing ourselves. I'm Ivan Daniels and you are?"

"Diana. Diana Kozlova."

"Nice to meet you Diana Kozlova. Welcome to St: Vladimir academy."

"Yay me." I said dripping in sarcasm.

"Come. It´s time to see your room." I put the schedule back in to the bag and lifted the bag up to my shoulder. Ivan opened the cell and stepped aside to let me out. I thought that maybe I could hit him with the bag but something stopped me. _Don't hurt him_ said a small voice in my head. I obeyed and let him and some other guardians escort me to my room. We walked through the campus to the dhampire dorm. I couldn't stop looking at the architecture on the buildings. It was in a gothic style and somehow it reminded me Derek's comment how he imagined the school would look like. I wondered what he and the others were up to. Did they ran back to the civilization and decided to leave me here or were they somewhere near by, waiting for an opportunity to rescue me. I really didn't know and I hoped that they would come for me. I missed them.  
We arrived outside my room. Number 113 printed on the surface. Ivan opened the door and gesture me to come in.

"Welcome to you new home." I stepped in to my room and looked around in disappointment. The room was smaller then my room back in the Darz. Instead of a nice décor, it's was just a plain room that even hadn´t a own bathroom. I noticed that there were two beds instead of one. For a second I wondered if I was going to share this room with some one but dismissed the idea at once. They wouldn't risk some innocent student by placing them in the same room as me. I also noticed metal bars outside my window.

"What do you think?" asked Ivan.

"Well it´s at least nicer than the cell even though the prison feeling is still the same."

"Excellent, now get dressed?" I turned around towards him and raised my eyebrow in confusion. What have they planned now?

"Get dressed? Why?"

"Because you will have your first lesson in about a half an hour."

"I thought the lessons where canceled because it was the parents are visiting."

"Some of the lessons are but not the combat lessons. It gives the novices a chance to show what they got for their parents and to some potential future protégés."

"But why do I need to go?"

"You are the latest talk around here. Everyone wants to see the Strigoi girl." The Strigoi girl? Is that what they call me around here. Interesting, I liked that nickname unlike from all the other names I been called.

"So, basically I'm some circus monkey and have to do some tricks for them for their own entertaining."

"Something like that. Now hurry up and change clothes." He just said and walked out from the room probably waiting outside. I was thinking of maybe find a suitable weapon and tricking him by knock him down by surprise. But then again maybe it would be a good way to show everyone of those peasants what they were up against. That they couldn't win. Well, my mission was to deliver a message to them that they couldn't win this war and what could be a better message then a girl from our army to show how tough we all were in the Darz. Besides, it could be fun to kick a couple of their novice's asses. I smiled deviously and started to change to training clothes that were lying on the bed. It was a black t-shirt and gray pants with the schools logo on it. I throw the t-shirt away in disgust. I didn't train in a t-shirt. Just in sports bra because I always socked them while I was training and they became uncomfortable. I already had a sport bra on me so I took of my shirt only to have a hoodie over it and changed my jeans to the gray pants. They also left me a pair of sneakers who fitted perfectly. How they could guess my shoe size remind a mystery. I emptied my bag and put the rest of my clothes and underwear in it to change afterwards. I knocked on the door and Ivan opened it.

"Ready?" I nodded and we walked to the gym. Two more guardians met us in the way and started to guard me as well. Wow, they really wanted to keep me guarded. We passed a couple of students and parents and I heard how they whispered about me and calling me the Strigoi girl. I ignored them of course. When we arrived at the building, there were already some novices who spared. After the match was over all of them turned their glances at me. There were many people sitting on the gallery. I saw also to my surprise that the queen sat in the middle of the gallery with her family and guardians surrounding her. I saw that Andre was sitting on the left of her and never took his eyes of me. Next to him was a girl in black hair and ice blue eyes as her father who looked at me with an angry, but yet a curious glance. Miranda. I almost forgot about her. She and I were quite close when we were younger if I'm remember right but that was a different time. The guardians led me to a corner to wait and watched the other a couple a novice´s spar.

"Good work boys. Now are you ready to spar miss…?" said the trainer.

"Diana. Diana Kozlova and yes I'm ready to give a try." I said aloud and clearly so everyone in the room could hear me. I took of my hoodie, put my hair in a ponytail, and walked to the sparing ring. I could hear someone whistle after me because of the sport bra. I ignored them.

"So, which one of you wants to spar with this miss Kozlova first?" asked the trainer to the novice´s.

"I will." Said a random guy with a arrogant smile and couldn't stop looking at my body. He stood on the opposite side of the sparing ring and started to get into fighting position.

"Ok, ready. Fight!" The boys made the first move by trying giving me punch but I grabbed his arm, threw him on the floor on his stomach, and gripped his arm behind him painfully. After a while, he surrendered.

"Ok, ok I give up. I give up." I smiled and let him go but didn't help him up. He was too pathetic to deserve my help. He stood up and looked pissed.  
"Again!" he screamed. I shrugged.

"If you wish." The trainer blow his whistle and the boy tried to kick me but I grabbed his leg and threw him off the ring in a single swing. He grunted in pain and muttering curses while looking pissed at me.

"Okay, anyone else who wants to try?" asked the trainer.

"I will." Said a boy. He was cute with his sand blond hair and green eyes. He looked familiar but I couldn't remember why. It didn't matter now. We both stood in position and the teacher blew his whistle. He didn't do like the other guy and made the first move. Instead, he was moving to side to side and we ended to walk around in a circle in the ring. When it was obvious that he wasn't going to make the first move I took action and ran towards him. I knocked him down to the floor. When he was down, I pinned him to the floor with a hard grip. He tried to fight me and rolled so I came under him and arm bowed me on my chest. I grunted in pain and I kicked him right in the stomach. He flew backwards and out of the ring. I rose from the floor, smiled in victory, and looked at the audience on the gallery.

"Is that all you got? So, will anyone else challenge me or are we done here."

"Not yet. I challenge you." I turned around and saw Ivan coming towards to the ring never breaking the eye contact. I could see the determent in his eyes. He really wanted to fight me. Not to boost his ego or something, it was because he was curious. I didn't know why I knew that, I just knew. It didn't matter. I'm glad to humiliate him in front of all these people as a revenge from our previous battles.

"Fine by me." I said and took position. The teacher blew his whistle and we circled each other never breaking the intense eye contact between us. He made the first move. I blocked it but he recovered and made another. I avoided it and arm bowed right on his cheek. He stumbled a few steps back and looked shocked at the move.

"Foul!" The trainer screamed and blew his whistle. I knew that there where rules about hitting faces in sparing but most didn't care about that rule in the Darz and the strigoi didn't mind. They say that our opponents in the real world wouldn't care if they punched our faces or not, so it was a good practice. But I guess the rules here were different. I lowered my guard down until I noticed that Ivan gave me an amused grin and ran towards me and attacked. I blocked it and hit him few times but he recovered quickly and managed to get a few hits as well. The fight became more and more fierce and intense. So much that it looked more like duel then a friendly spar. We hit and kicked each other hard and fought like it was life or death and some blood began to appear. After awhile we ended on the floor wrestling and rolled around to pin one another, which was almost impossible. We were to equal. In the end, the guardians interfered and separated us thinking that we took things too far. They pinned me to a wall pointed a gun against me so I wouldn't try anything. I didn't care. All I could think of was how happy I was to finally find a perfect opponent. So much that I couldn't stop smiling in amusement. Next time Ivan Daniels. Next time.

**IvanPOV**

"Are you out of your mind! What the hell where you doing out there?" said Guardian Petrov. After the spar, I was sent to her office for punishment.

"I was sparring." I said simply.

"That wasn't sparring. It looked liked you wanted kill her." My head snapped up at that.

"Not kill her. Just defeat her. I guess I took it too far but it was a mistake. I won´t do it again." I assured her.

"Guardian Daniels what you did was out of line and a threat to the girl. That's why you have been taken away your task to guard for her safety. Guardian Alto will take your position as the girls guard." Suddenly for no reason I panicked.

"What! No, you can´t do that. I wasn't a threat. You all saw that. I now I messed up. Please let me be her guard. No one can take her down as I do and you know it. Please guardian Petrov." I know I must have sounded pathetic but I couldn't help myself. I always hated to beg but somehow I just must be Diana's guardian. The one to protect her no matter what.

"I am sorry Ivan but the Queen has made it perfectly clear to keep the girl save and you are threat for that safety. Did I make myself clear?"

"But…"

"I said did I make myself clear!" I sighed in defeat.

"Yes, Guardian Petrov."

"Good now go to the nurse house and wash yourself up."

"Yes, Guardian Petrov." Suddenly the door opened and in came queen Vasilisa with her husband and their guardians.

"Your majesty? What can I do?" Alberta said and rose from her seat and bowed. I bowed as well.

"Nothing now but I wished to talk to Guardian Daniels, if that's okay?"

"Of course, we were just finished here." Alberta left her office and I turned towards the queen, bowing, and hoped that I wouldn't get any further punishment from her majesty herself.

"Your majesty."

"You know you can call me Lissa. After all, you are part of the family."

"Not by blood and after how I acted I don't deserve that pleasure."

"Which brings the reason why we are here." She said and sat on Alberta's chair by the desk.

"What happened out there? I thought I taught you enough self-control to never begin in such situation." Said Dimitri. His comment stuck me harder than the queens or Guardian Petrov´s. I always looked up to him every since I was little and was blessed to be trained by him sometimes in my novice days. He always had been good to me. Sometimes I imagined him as a father I never had.

"You trained me well Guardian Belikov but I just… slipped."

"So much that you let your hatred come in the way."

"I didn't do it out of hatred. I did it because… I don't know quite why I did it but it wasn't hatred more like… curiosity and for fun."

"Yeah, punching people who is prisoners and working for the enemy is really fun." Said Christian sarcastically.

"It actually is." Said Rose.

"I guess your were taken away your position as her guard then." Said the Queen already knowing the answer. I nodded.

"Yes, Guardian Alto would take that position. Which isn't right. It should be me protecting her not him."

"Your job is protecting this school and soon enough protect your moroi protégé and not some dhampire girl that you made yourself her personal enemy here." Said Dimitri in his mentor voice.

"I'm not her enemy." I said calmly.

"Oh yeah, how do you know that?" asked Rose who looked at me curiously.

"I just… know okay. I don't know why but I just know." I turned towards the Queen.  
"Please I can you do me a favor and talk to Guardian Petrov to change her mind and I promise that something like this will never happen again. You asked me to be her guard so I could get information from the girl directly to you, didn't you. You still need me to do this."

"You seem to care about this girl a lot for only just met her." said the Queen suspiciously.

"I know, I can't explain it but I do." She looked at me for a long time and then nodded.

"Alright, I can see what I can do." I smiled.

"Thank you your majesty. I really do appreciate it."

**DianaPOV**

"_Please don't kill me! Please, please!" He begged and screamed when raised my sword and killed him quickly. His blood sprayed on me and I turned way to look for another victim. I could feel the cold fog flowing around me and whispering "kill them, kill them all". I obeyed and killed everyone I could find. I saw a man running away from me and I ran after him. He was fast but not fast enough. I caught up with him and tackled him to the ground. I raised my sword to kill him and heard the voices hissing me to kill him but I hesitated when I saw his face and trembled. Ivan?_

I snapped out from the dream and sat up in my bed, sweating and trembling all over my body. I sighed and shook my head in confusion and fatigue. Seriously, what was it with this dream? I rubbed my eyes and rose out of bed. I stretched my tried muscles and wished I could take a shower. They didn't have shower in the rooms but in a room there all dhampire girls shared. I wanted to take shower yesterday but they decided to lock me up for the rest of the day. I couldn't just go to the shower room without a guardian staying outside and I didn't know if they allowed me to do it now. The guardian who guarded outside was pretty mean and apparently didn't understand the importance of personal hygiene. So, I just lied in my bed and stared up at the celling. After a while, someone knocked the door.

"Come in." I said and in came Ivan.

"Hi again." He said and suddenly I felt a bolt of happiness for seeing him but didn't let it show.

"I thought they fired you after our sparring."

"Yeah, but let us say I had connections."

"Aaah, you used your influence of the Queen. Sneaky. I'm surprised she agreed to help you."

"Same here. How are you feeling?" he asked looking concerned.

"I experienced worse than some punches from a guardian." He smiled. He had a really nice smile.

"Is that so." I smiled back at him but then slapped myself mentally. _Stop teasing with him. _

"So what's happens now. I am expelled or something?" I asked to change subject and became serious.

"No, but they thought it would be wise to let you avoid having classes with the novices for a while and arranged so you have personal trainings after school instead."

"Really? Why?"

"Orders from higher people. Not my position to question them, especially after yesterday. Now get ready. Your classes will start soon."

"Can I go and take a shower first?" He shrugged and pointed his head to the door.

"Sure, hurry up." I didn't hesitate I took my things and walked to the shower room. The shower was wonderful. I could feel how light and clean my body was afterwards. I dried my hair with a towel and got dressed. I walked back to my room to take my things for the classes and felt my rumble in hunger.

"Do I have sometime to eat breakfast before class?"

"No, your class will start in fifteen minutes. What's your first class?" I sighed and looked at my schedule.

_**1st period Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques**_

_**2nd period Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection 3**_

_**3**__**rd**__** period Weight Training and Conditioning**_

_**4**__**th**__** period senior Langue Arts (Novices)**_

_**-Lunch-**_

_**5**__**th**__** period Animal Behavior and Physiology**_

_**6**__**th**__** period Precalculus**_

_**7**__**th**__** period Moroi Culture 4**_

_**8**__**th**__** period Slavic Art**_

"Bodyguard theory and personal protection 3." I said.

"Stan's class then. Come on, you don't want to be late for his classes." I rolled my eyes. Like I care if I became late for some stupid class but then again I never had class about body guarding. It was the moroi back in the Darz who took those classes. I had more combat and gym classes with some other necessary classes like math, geography, a few langue and social classes. Those classes were necessary for the dhampire´s. The moroi had more subjects.  
We walked through campus to the classroom and I could hear how everybody whispered about me. I also noticed that they whispered about Ivan as well. Saying his was a some kind of a maniac. That made me irritated at them. Sure, he took things too far but still he shouldn't suffer the horrible rumors. I mentally shook my head. _Why do you care if what they say about him? His you´re enemy, remember. They all are. _When we finally arrived to the classroom, I was seated in the front row close to the window. Ivan was sitting next to me and I noticed that there were plenty of guardians and some dhampire moms back in the classroom. Probably looking how the classes were. I froze when I saw two familiar faces among them. My parents. I can't believe they actually were here. It was so weird to see them again after so many years. When they noticed me glancing, I frown at them and turned my glance to the teacher.  
I bit my lower lip to not to laugh when I saw who the teacher was. The guardian who had questioned me when I first came here with the horrible breath was teaching this class. This should be interesting.

"Okay, class today you will listen to a few stories from our fellow guardians, so pay attention. These stories can help you how to handle situations in the future and the first who will be telling Guardian Stewart." He said and a male guardian walked to the lectern. He told a story that a few years ago when he was guarding a royal party and discovered some strigoi lurking around and how he and fellow colleagues managed to kill them. The next guardian told a similar story but he was guarding a moroi who was out clubbing. The next two guardians told similar stories too. The things they had in common were that they were guardian a couple of moroi and killing strigoi. I could barely sit still in my chair. Some part of me wanted to scream at them that they were the bad guys not the strigoi. And making things even worse, it seemed to be my mother's turn to tell a story. Stan didn't sound so happy when he presented her but the class in other hand was applauding and looked at her as if she was some goddess, which made me clench my teeth together.

"Hello everyone." She said. A novice raised her hand and my mum nodded to let her have the word.

"Guardian Hathaway can you tell the story about Spokane." I saw that my mom winced at that and I raised my eyebrow in suspicion. What´s wrong with Spokane?

"No, tell us about when strigoi were attacking the academy." Said another novice and then there were arguments about which of those stories she should tell. Stan told everyone to quiet down. My mother was looking at me and smiled.

"What do you think? Which story do you want to hear?" I was a little shocked that she asked me. Now everybody's eyes were at me, waiting for my answer. I couldn't care less which story about how heroic and brave she was but then I remembered how the flash of pain had past through her eyes in the mention of Spokane and grinned.

"Spokane."

"Alright then Spokane it is." She said and turned towards the class.  
"I was seventeen years old when the strigoi attacked a Badica family, which caused that all the students in the academy and their parents spent their Christmas holiday at a ski resort in Idaho. But a couple of days later when we arrived the strigoi had attacked a couple of Drozdovs. I got the information from a guardian that the strigoi were hiding in tunnels under a shopping mall in Spokane. A novice, who where friend of mine, found out about this information and together with his best friend and a moroi girl traveled to Spokane to kill them. I found about it and together with lord Christian Ozera we went after them. Luckily, they didn't found any strigoi when we found them. When we were going back to the bus station we where ambushed by humans. Of course, we all could have taken them if not one of them pointed a gun at one of our moroi. The moroi comes first so we surrendered and they took us to a basement and bound us in chairs. After awhile two strigoi came in and made the moroi a deal. They could live if they drank our blood until we died and become a strigoi. Of course, they both refused but after awhile I came up with a plan. I hinted to lord Ozera that he could use magic to escape. He asked our humans guards to release him so he can drink my blood. When he came to me, he pretended to drink my blood while using his fire magic to melt my plastic handcuffs so I could be free and take down our guards. After that, we freed the others. Me and another novice took a quick look at the basement floor to spot any more enemies, which we didn't. We managed to get to the floor were the main door was but was stopped by the strigoi. I said to the others to run towards the door to get outside were the sun shined while I was attacking the strigoi. I managed to fight them of enough to let the others to escape but I was captured and pinned to a wall by one of the strigoi." She stopped for a second like she needed to regain herself. No one noticed that except me, and maybe my father.  
"He was about to kill me when one of the novices who was my friend and he one who led the crazy expedition in the first place held a gun and shot at the strigoi. The strigoi was old and didn't even feel a thing and suddenly with his immortal speed run up to him and snapped his neck. He was going after me but suddenly the aquarium in the room exploded and the water surrounded the strigoi´s head. The water was wielded by one of the moroi who was with us. I took the opportunity and grabbed a old sword on the wall and chop one of the strigoi´s head and did the same thing with the other. We took contact with the guardians at the resort and it didn't take long before the came to the scene. We were all save except the one who was dead." There was a big silence in the room.  
"I know you are all eager to kill a strigoi but your not yet ready. My friends weren't ready and because of their eager we lost a dear friend. So remember class don't rush into situations without thinking all the logics. Any questions?" I raised my hand.

"Yes…?" she asked as if she didn't know me. Bitch.

"Diana."

"Yes, Diana what's your question?"

"I was just wondering. Where did your friends get the information in the first place? You were the only novice who knew where the strigoi were unless… you told them. So, that's mean that it was your fault that your friend died in the first place." She winced a little liked I threw a dagger to her chest. Her face became hard and serious.

"That's not true." She said with a small hint of pain and anger.

"It is, isn't. Your still feel guilt about it don't you? And I bet that that friend was a male and shot the strigoi in order to save you because he was in love it you but of course you didn't return his feelings because you were more into…" I took a quick glance at my father and back to her.  
"Older guys."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." She said her and I saw how she tried to control her anger.

"Sure, I'm not. After all I'm just the Strigoi girl who works with the enemy and not risking every mans lives because their undying love for me…"

"That's enough. Guardian Daniels would you please escort miss Kozlova out from the classroom." Said the teacher.

"But why." I said in fake innocent.  
"Is it illegal to ask questions around here?"

"You did far more than that." Said the teacher harshly and pointed to the door. I shrugged and let Ivan escort me out from the classroom.

"So where are we going now?" I asked when we were alone. He didn't answer. He just looked forwards with an emotionless face.  
"Hallo, I'm talking to you?" Still no answer. I started to panic a little. I didn't want him to hate me.  
"Are you mad at me or something."

"Yes I am. You shouldn't have said that to her." he said harshly and with controlled anger. I started feel angry and envy build inside me.

"Why, because she's some badass famous goddess."

"Because it was rude. No, rude doesn't even describe what you did in there."

"I was only speculating facts."

"You did far more than speculating facts. You rubbed salt over an old wound."

"Why do you care? Are you into her or something?" I said. I know it was a stupid question to ask but somehow I didn't want him to be on her side.

"What? No! But, I have known Rose and Dimitri almost my whole life. They both have trained me and helped me to become the guardian I'm today. I care for them and respect them. Believe it or not, but all the admiration, all that high respect they got were because they earn it."

"Well, believe it or not but all the hate and disrespect they got were earned as well." He turned his glance at me in pure confusion.

"What's that's supposed to mean?" I turned my head away from him.

"Nothing you would understand."

**AndrePOV**

"I swear she was totally trash talking towards Guardian Hathaway. I heard Tobias said that." Said Sara one royal girl from the Conta family. It was lunchtime and I sat with my royal gang that I secretly hated.

"That girl is a total freak. I can't believe they let her go in classes here." Said one guy from the Badica family.

"I know. She is working for the strigoi. They should lock her up or something."

"I know. Look there she is." We all turned our glances to Diana who walked together with Ivan in to the cafeteria. Everyone stopped eating and looked at her. She ignored them all and walked to the food stand.

"She's eating lunch here?" said Anya in disgust.

"Why would they let her eat here?"

"Look how much food she has on her plate. You could almost think that she was fat."

"She cannot eat all of it. Not without throwing up or something." Said Miranda who sat on my left with her boyfriend Lukas. On the right sat Mason as usual.

"Schh, she's coming." Said Anya. Diana passed trough a table until I saw that Lukas laid his foot on her way so she tripped but quickly regained her balance without dropping her food.

"Hey, you ok." Said Ivan and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked honestly concern for her. How weird.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she said and turned her glance at Lukas and glared.  
"I just stumbled a little. How very clumsy of me." She turned away and started to walk towards an empty table.

"Why did you do that for?" I said when she was out of hearing sight.

"What? Oh come on you can´t say she didn´ deserve it."

"No, but you just made yourself her victim and we all know how tough she is. I would be scared if I were you." He laughed in amusement but I could tell that he was nervous about the thought.

"I'm not scared of her."

"Yeah, sure you not." Miranda laid her arms around him and binged her face closer to his.

"Don't worry baby. I'm not letting her lay a finger on you." she said and they started to make out. I looked away in disgust. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked to Masons green eyes.

"When was the last time your went to feeder?" he asked.

"What? Yest… um, three days ago." I said getting the hint.

"You should feed. Come, I will escort you." He said and rose from his seat.

"Oh, come on Mason. Stop act like his babysitter." Said Anya. He glared at her with a serious glance.

"I'm not his babysitter. I'm his guardian. It's my job to make sure he is safe and healthy." He said and led me out from the cafeteria. When we were outside alone I turned my glance at him and smiled at him appreciate.

"Thanks man."

"No problem. I know you hate to trash talk people behind their backs. And seeing your sister and Lukas sucking each other faces wouldn't improve your mood."

"I could handle it you know. I'm not made of glass."

"I know but… "

"But I could get so irritated and disgusted that I would gone crazy and hurting people with my powers."

"That's not what I meant." He assured but I knew the truth.

"You can't lie to me Mase. I know that every time you looking at me to see if my moods are stable." Suddenly he looked angry and turned his head away from me.

"You can be a selfish ass sometimes do you know that." I was confused.

"What do mean selfish? We came first isn't?" After observing him, it hit me.  
"Unless it isn't really about me. It´s about you. You feel you made a fool out of yourself from yesterday isn't it." His shoulder sank in humiliation.

"What kind of guardian I'm I if I can´t beat some girl who's is working for the enemy." I couldn't stop feeling sorry for him. I hated when he was like this. Insecure and helpless. It reminded me too much of his bullying days. I laid my hand on his shoulder.

"Well technically your aren't a guardian yet so you got the rest of the school year to get stronger and more skilled to protect me from all the bad guys out there." He turned his glance towards mine and I could see a small flash of hope in his eyes.

"You really think so?"

"I know so." I assured him.  
"Now come on or we´ll be late for our next class."

"As you wish lord Dragomir." He said and bowed to me. I punched on his shoulder.

"Don't call me that. It makes me sound old." We both laughed and walked to our class.

**DianaPOV**

The rest of the day went better than I excepted, I guess. After the class, I had langue art. Ivan asked which langue class I wanted to take. I told him that I spoke fluent Russian, Romania, Spanish, French, Germany and Chinese. He looked shocked by that. In the end, I ended up in English, which was waste of time. Then there was lunch and I was forced to eat at the cafeteria. Some guy laid his foot in my path so I tripped. Lucky with my fast reflexes I found my balance before I fell to the floor with my food. He sat at a table with Andre and had his arm around Miranda. I presumed that he was her boyfriend or something. After lunch I had animal behavior and physiology which was waste of time as well because I found no reason to use this information out in the real world. Maybe to handle a wild animal in the wilderness but that was small chance that would happen. The next class was precalculus, a fancy word for "math for dummies". The math problems were easy to solve. So easy that I after twenty problems didn't see the point to do them anymore. Ivan noticed that and when I told him how simple this class was he said he would talk to teacher to put into me in the high calculus class instead. Next class was moroi culture, which I found quite fascinating. I ignored the teacher and read the book about their world and history instead the whole class. The last class was Slavic art that again was useless class so I took the opportunity to take a nap. Luckily, the teacher didn't notice that and woke me up. When the class ended it was time for my private after school lessons. I forgot to pack my training clothes so we had to make trip to my room first.

"So how has the day been so far?" asked Ivan but had still the harshness in his voice from before. I shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. A couple of useless subjects but still quite interesting."

"Well the day is not over yet." I sighed.

"I know. Do you know who will be my teacher for my private classes?"

"No, I don't but someone must be really brave if he or she volunteered to teach you."

"Maybe they didn't volunteer and besides I'm not going to learn nothing new. I already know how to kick and hit people."

"I guess they wanted to see how well."

"Like an experiment." I said in disgust.

"More like observation." He said simply. Our eyes meet and suddenly I felt a warm feeling in my chest. It was a nice feeling. A feeling I immediately shook away. I seriously have to stop being so casual around him. I could tell he felt the same way. I always found it weird that I could tell how he felt sometimes. Like he was an open book. We didn't say anything on the way to my room or on the way to the gym. It was an awkward silence, which made me a little uncomfortable. When we arrived at the building, I went to the girl's locker room to change clothes. I walked out to the middle of the gym room and saw that Ivan was gone. _Strange? Why would he leave me here unguarded_? A little thought in my head told me to take this opportunity and escape until I heard a dark voice from behind.

"Diana." I tensed up and turned around. I my eyes wided in shock and disbelief. _Why. Of all people, why him._

"Papa?"

**Uh oh, looks like Dimitri is her private teacher. This should be interesting. It also looks like Ivan and Diana have some chemistry between them. Well, you have to wait for next chapter to find out how things goes, which should come soon because I have school holiday this week but in the mean time review. I really could need some motivation. In any case, Happy Halloween everyone. **


	8. Chapter 7: Discovery

**Happy Halloween everyone and thank you guys for the 1000 views. It makes me so happy that so many people are following this story and I hope to give guys a good time reading. I can promise you that things are going to spice up a little here and there. But enough talk, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: Again I don't the VA world or the older generation just the younger and the story their living in.**

**Chapter 7: Discovery**

**DianaPOV**

Yep, it was really him. My father walked forwards me and he had casual training clothes. Our eyes meet and suddenly felt pain in my chest. He looked a little different from the last time I saw him. Of course, I have noticed him before since I arrived here but this was the first time I got a good look at him. He was still 6´7 tall and his brown was in a small ponytail as usual. He also had a light beard that made him look older than I remembered. Yeah, he still looked pretty much the same. Suddenly flashes of memories came to my mind. Me and him cooking in the kitchen with mum, him and me speaking Russia which made mother furious sometimes because she didn't understand, me and him going to library to search after books for "the book club" we had. It was stupid thing we had together when I sat and listen to him reading books. He was the reason I was such a bookworm and it was habit I couldn't overcome.  
He stopped right in front me while never leaving the eye contact we had. Suddenly I was speechless; I didn't come with anything to say and I could see that he didn't either. We stared each other for a while until recovered myself.

"So, you are my personal trainer."

"Yes."

"Just don't get too personal like you did with mum and we both will be just fine." He looked startled that I said that. I smirked while raising my eyebrow.  
"Yeah, I know that your were her mentor in her novices days, it isn't a secret. Not even back where I came from." His faced became hard, strict and showing no emotion.

"I see. What else do you know about us?" I flipped my hair over my shoulder without breaking our eye contact.

"Well, let us say they think the opposite of you and mum what people think of you here. So, are you going to train me or are we finished with our starring contest."

"Follow me." he said and gestured me to follow him. He led me in to a room that looked like gym with machines and other gym tools.  
"I want you do this machine exercise." He said and pointed to one of the machines.

"Is that it? I thought I would do more than gym exercises."

"Well, you didn't have weight training and condition class today so this a good catch up." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." I sighed and did the exercises. He observed me the whole time and looked a little surprised of the weight I got on my machine.

"So, how's was your first day at school?"

"You guys are really wasting your time with these useless afternoon classes. Half of it doesn't have anything to do with what you will do after you graduated."

"Most of those classes are individual. You can chose which class you want to take." I raised my eyebrow and glanced slightly to him while continue to do the weights.

"Why?"

"To choose a subject you think is fun." I huffed and turned my glance forwards me.

"Fun is a waste of time. Back were I came from we focus hard on what we need to learn to win this war and less on the fun."

"You sound so sure that you will win."

"Trust me you would too if you were me and you would stand a chance if you weren't so busy having fun with mum." I didn't look t him but I bet he looked shocked and pissed.

"It wasn't like that. What your mother and I have was more than that." He said in a controlled anger and somehow hurt.

"Sure, it was before until she decided fuck someone else." I said as if I was talking about the weather.

"What do you mean?" I rolled my eyes.

"Don't play dumb. I'm talking about my father."

"I'm your father and I wont tolerate the way you talk to me or her." Okay now he sounded pissed. He wasn't the only one. After those words, the anger I felt all these years started to blow up. I stopped to do the exercise, rose from the machine, and stood in front him and looked at him in confront.

"Your not my father, you never was! I'm not stupid! I know that dhampire´s can´t have children with each other and honestly I don't get what she did to make you stay with her after she cheated at you unless you were the one who cheated on her and took me away from my real mother." He opened his mouth to say something but I interrupted him and let my anger take over. I wanted him to hurt. Just as much, I have these past years.  
"And I know that it was your idea to let me attend this academy to keep me closer but I let me make some things clear. I am not your little girl anymore. She's long gone and I wont cooperate and betray my people. I rather die so don't waste your time on about it. You could just look me up in cell." We looked at each other for a long time and then he picked up a cellphone from his pocket and texted to someone. Two minutes later came Ivan.

"Your done here?" he asked and looked at us a little suspiciously.

"Yes, take miss Kozlova… back to her room." He said and turned around and started to walk away. Just like that.

"Is that it? You're just going to send to my room." He stopped and turned his head over his shoulder.

"Well as you said, this was just waste of time." He said and started talk away again. Ivan led me out of the building to my room.

"Okay, what did you said to him back there?" he said while we walked.

"The truth." I said.  
"I told him the hard cold truth."

**RosePOV**

I was sitting on our couch in the guest room that I shared with Dimitri until the door opened and Dimitri came in.

"Hi, you were early. How did it go?" I asked and I rose from the couch and walked towards him. I could sense that he wasn't in a good mood.

"Let us say that she gave me the same medicine she gave you back in class." He said and put his arms around my waist while I put my arms around his neck.

"What did she said?" He sighed.

"She questioned and commented about if I was her real father or not." That shocked me. We both new that one day we had to tell her the truth about how she was born but she was kidnapped before she was old enough to understand. I shouldn't be surprised me that she would question that. Hell, I would too if I was in her position. I leaned my head against his chest and sighed. It was so hard to believe that this was our daughter. Diana who was all sweet and loving was now insulting and hurting us. I would never forget how it felt when she was commenting in class.

"Should we tell her?" I asked quietly.

"I don't think that would make a difference and besides she wouldn't believe us even if we told her."

"That's true." I wouldn't believe it either. God what mess this was.

"Maybe this was a mistake. To let her attend the academy." He said.

"It's only been two days. Maybe she will come around." I said to try to be optimistic.

"And on those days she battled Ivan, insulted you in front of an entire class and insulted me as well. I seriously don't know what to do with her. Besides, she made it perfectly clear that she won´t cooperate. She actually prefers the cell instead of taking classes." he said and walked to the couch and sat heavily.

"I know school sometimes can be boring but they are not that bad." I said and joined him in the couch and leaned my head to his shoulder while he put his arm around my shoulders in an embrace.

"She complained that she had no use for those classes. She's a very skilled fighter and is surpassing the novices in her own age. She knows six languish fluently and is going to transfer to the high calculus class. Besides, she thinks these after school classes are a waste of time. Even I think so, it feels I have nothing to teach her."

"How do you know all that?" I asked.

"Ivan."

"Wow." Our daughter was real star student. I almost feel jealous of her.

"I don't like how attached he is towards her." Dimitri said and I saw that he had his overprotective father face and voice. He used to have it back in the old days towards Diana because she was sometimes so reckless.

"I know it´s strange. Especially after, they beat the shit out of each other yesterday. I wouldn't be so attracted to someone who beat me up bloody." I could feel how tensed he became.

"You think he´s attracted to her?" I giggled and turned his face against mine while I brushed some slings hair from his face.

"Well, she is our child." His expression was priceless and I laughed and kissed him quick on his lips.

"Easy, there daddy. Ivan isn't that kind of guy and you know it. He wouldn't try anything."

"He better not." He muttered. We sat there for a while.

"So your gonna drop of the job as Diana's mentor." He pinned his nose bone and sighed.

"I'm not sure. It feels like I have nothing to teach her." Suddenly an idea comes to my head.

"How about using a stake."

"Excuse me."

"Well if she´s working for the strigoi I guarantee they didn't teach her how to use a stake. Teach her that. That should keep her interested."

"What if she´s not."

"Only way to find out."

**IvanPOV**

After I left Diana back to her room, I walked back to mine and decided to take a shower. The day went better than expected, if you don't count her insulting Rose and Dimitri. Seriously, what's was her problem. Something told me this wasn't a random attack. It felt more like it was… personal. Why it was personal, I had no clue but hoped that she would cool down around them, so I wouldn't feel so damn conflicted about it. I like her but she made it hard when she insulted the two persons who I look up to, and it was hard to hate her when I liked her… for some weird reason that I can´t explain. It felt like I could relax around her and trust her, which I shouldn't because she's a prisoner working for the enemy, which also made this thing even more confusing. When I was done showering and putting on my clothes I heard a small knock on my door. I walked the door while putting on a t-shirt and saw Andre, Mason, Miranda and Anya standing outside.

"What's up man. May we come in?" asked Andre.

"Um… sure. Come in." I said and step aside for them to come in.  
"Why are you guys here?"

"We wanted to ask about Diana. You know how she is and how things are going." Said Andre.

"Um..."

"She hasn't given you any more trouble hasn't she? She hasn't punch you or hurt you in anyway." Said Anya always as worried for my sake.

"Actually…"

"Oh, relax Anya. Ivan is big boy now. He can take care of himself." Said Miranda.

"I'm just concerned. That's all. I still don´t understand why they didn't take away your position as her personal guard. I mean she is obviously a threat to you." She was more than concerned. Yes, I know that she had a crush on me, I'm not stupid. Unfortunately for her, I didn't feel the same way. I just saw her like a younger sister.

"I'm…" I started again but got interrupted again by Mason.

"Maybe they didn't take his position because he has proven to be the only one who can take her down."

"Or maybe he could explain everything if you stopped interrupting him." I said sarcastic and irritated. I loved these guys but sometimes they were to… much.

"Sorry, go head explain." Said Andre and glared at everyone.

"Thank you. Now to answer you question Anya. I wasn't fired because I wanted to continue to guard her and she is quite… nice. If you don't count the fact that she insulted Rose and Dimitri."

"I heard about aunt Rosie. When did she insult uncle Dimitri?" asked Miranda.

"In their private class she has instead of them she has in the morning."

"Wow, she really must hate them." said Mason.

"Can you blame her? I mean it has been thirteen years." said Miranda

"Wow, wait what do you mean it has been thirteen years. She knows them?" I asked shockingly. How could she now them. She couldn't know them personally, I mean she must be a baby thirteen years ago.

"Yeah, she is their daughter." My eyes widened and saying I was shocked was an understatement.

"But their daughter is dead."

"Not anymore."

"But her last name is Kozlova?"

"She must have changed it."

"Didn't you know about this?" said Andre surprised that I didn't.

"No, I had absolutely no clue."

"Well… surprise." He said and waved his hands like jazz hands.

"Why would you even want to be her personal guard after she is did to you anyway?" said Anya. I almost sighed. Of course, she still was on that topic. Sometimes I thought about telling the truth that I didn't like her that way but always hoped that she would get over it. Besides I didn't want to ruin our friendship plus it was kind of nice to have a admirer.

"Jealous?" I teased and smiled.

"No, just curious." She said and I could see her blush, which made her look adorable. She was good looking that I had to admit.

"Well don't worry, it isn't like that. It was as Mason said. It seemed that I was the only one who could take her down, so that's why I still got the job." I didn't want to explain to then the weird urge I had to be protect her. They wouldn't understand, even I didn't understand.

"If you say so." She said and smiled.

"So, is there anything else you like to know or are we done here?" I asked to the others.

"No, I think we got what we came for. Besides, we are going to be late for the dinner." Said Andre who was looking at his wristwatch.

"Urhg, I hate those royal dinners. They are so boring." Miranda said and looked extremely annoyed.

"Isn't Lukas coming?" asked Anya.

"No, he said that he had something else to do." She sighed disappointingly.

"Oh my lords. Lukas isn't coming to the dinner. What ever shall we do?" said Andre dramatically dripping in sarcasm. I held back a laugh. I didn't like Lukas either. I thought that Miranda deserved someone so much better then him but then again love makes people do stupid things.

"Stop being such a jerk. He's my boyfriend. You could at least pretend to like him." She said annoyingly at her twin brother.

"This is me pretending to like him."

"I swear the day you found yourself a new girlfriend, you are going to regret that you ever been mean to him."

"Don't hold you breath until then sister."

**NicolePOV**

"You see? You gather the water like this and then whip." I said and did a water whip against a dummy to demonstrate to a girl student. I turned around and smiled.  
"Now you try." She nodded and gathers the water as I said and started to whip but it the whip became all messy and she lost control and hit her own forehead.

"It's so hard. I can´t do it." she said frustrated and rubbed her forehead.

"Yes, you can." I said and laid a hand on her shoulder.  
"You just have to practice more that's all." I assured her.

"Okay." I was going to say that she would try again until I heard a voice behind me.

"Miss Rinaldi? A word." I turned around and a strigoi named Carl who was in charge of the magic training. I told the girl to keep practicing and walked to him.

"Yeah?"

"The masters are disappointed in the training progress of the new water wielders. They are still on the same level as last week and haven't improved much." He said with a southern accent.

"I know that they have some difficulties but they are doing the best as they can."

"That's not enough. I recommend you to find a way to give more results."

"It's not that easy!"

"Well make it easy." I had enough of him. Instead of answering him I walked pass him to the door.

"Miss Rinaldi? Miss Rinaldi!" he shouted behind me. I ignored him, stormed out of the room, took the elevator to the fourth floor, and knocked at Masters Wrights door to his office.

"Come in." he said and I stepped in to in front of his desk. He looked up and gave me a small smile that was meant to be gentle but was losing effect because of the red eyes. I have gotten used to that over the years. Master wright has been my mentor and after a hard work and training, I was one of his personal guardians.

"Nicolette? What are you doing here? You were supposed to teach the water magic class." My name wasn't Nicolette but it's was a name he always called me since I was little.

"I was until Carl came up to me and criticizing my work."

"He wasn't criticizing you. He just made you aware that the training progress giving slow results." He said in matter of fact and turned his head down to his paper work.

"I'm aware of that but they can't be helped. Some are good at freezing water to ice and some are just good at manipulate water in small scale etc. etc. Not everyone has the full ability to control water as well as I am. They just need time to train in their own tempo."

"Let me ask you something my dear. Why do think we train you children so hard." He said without looking up from his paperwork.

"To win the war against the royal moroi."

"And how are we going to do it."

"By using their own recourses against them."

"Exactly and in order to do so you all must master all you abilities. It's been fourteen years since this operation started. We don't have so much time left. We have already exposed ourselves, barely and the great war is soon upon us. We don't have time to wait to some weak moroi to go on their own… tempo. So, I suggest that you find a way to give some better results. Is that clear?"

"But…"

"I said is that clear." He said looked at me angrily. I kept my mouth shut and bowed.

"Yes, master. You were very clear."

"Good, now go back to work." I turned around and tried hard not to slam the door behind me. I looked at my wristwatch and saw that the lesson was over so I decided to head to my room. On my way, there I met Rebecca who probably came back from her air-teaching class.

"Hi, wow you look like you can shoot lightning from your eyes. What happened?" she asked. I walked to our room door and opened it.

"Papa happened." I said and walked to my bed.

"Ok tell me all about it." she said and sat next to me.

"Carl came to me today in class and he said that the training progress of the new water wielders was to slow and didn't give any results."

"He came to my class and said exact same thing to me. I tried to tell him that some moroi can't master the element completely in only a week."

"I know. I even talked to papa and he said that there wasn't time to let them improve in their own time. Seriously, sometimes I wished I just could escape from this place." I said and laid back on the bed.

"You know you can´t. You would get caught and you would be declared as a traitor. Besides, even if they can be jerks sometimes don't forget about our goal."

"I know I know." I said and sighed in defeat. Then I remembered something I heard from a couple of dhampire´s say on their way to training.  
"You know, I heard a rumor yesterday about of a dhampire gang who were in a field mission who hasn't come back yet. They were going to do something in one of the enemy's academies." She just shrugged.

"Maybe they were caught. If that's so they are long dead."

"That's the weird part. I heard that they chose to stay there." Rebecca looked I was talking in chines and wrinkle her nose.

"Why would they choose to stay there?"

"I don't know but it does make me curious though how things are in their world."

"Let see… they are bunch of monsters, bloodwhores and fang-banger that like to destroy things for fun. Did I miss something?" she said while counting the things with her fingers.

"But what if it isn't true."

"Okay who are you and what have you done with my real BFF?" she said and poked me on my stomach.

"Nothing, I'm still her." I said and slapped her hand.

"I don't believe you but… okay look I know that things are little hectic right know but we has just to deal with it. Running away isn't the answer and especially running to the enemy. Do you hear me?" I sighed mentally.

"Yeah, yeah I hear you."

**DianaPOV**

When I fell asleep, I expected to dream that awful dream again. Instead, I found myself in a balcony on a tower of a castle facing the ocean. It was sunset and the sky was in beautiful orange, pink and purple. The wind was blowing hard from the ocean and I tried to hug myself to keep me warm and I noticed surprisingly I was in a simple dark blue gown in silk. The gown fitted perfectly, showed my curves, and flew flowingly under my hips.

"You should wear gowns more often. It really suits you." said a voice behind me. I spun around I my eyes widened in surprise.

"Michael?" Out of the corner came that crazy spirit user with his long messy blond hair in a ponytail and had a white t-shirt and jeans. I noticed that he hadn't any shoes on.

"The one and only."

"What are you doing here? Wait, are we in a spirit dream?" I heard of spirit dreams but I never been in one. The only thing I knew that it was very realistic.

"Correct my friend. It has been long time since I last saw you." he said and gave me suddenly a hug.

"It's been about three days." I said awkwardly in his embrace and patted his back.

"Still long enough." He said and released me.  
"So how are you doing?" I rolled my eyes thinking of all the things I have done the past days.

"Oh, you know stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" I hesitated. Could I really tell him everything? He already knew who my parents were so maybe it wouldn't be so bad to tell him. Besides, he would just get everything by reading my mind and I admitted. It was really nice to see someone I knew. So, I sighed and told him everything that happened. From the mission to insulting my own parents. He let me finish before he spoke.  
"My, my you have a quite an adventure." He said fascinated in everything I just said.

"I wouldn't call it a adventure, more like a time in prison."

"It doesn't sound that you have been treated badly."

"Perhaps but it still doesn't change how I think about them."

"Oh but you do. You just don't want to admit it."

"Now I remember why didn't miss you." He laughed.

"Of course you do. But I mean it, have you seen anything that's fit into the rumors we had heard about them."

"I haven't exactly got the full insight."

"You could if you were more observant. Forget your conflict with you parents and your past and try to see things from fresh eyes without begin judgmental." I looked at him and glared.

"They are the enemy. I should focus on destroying them not to understand them."

"But how can you destroy your enemies if you can't understand why and how." He said and I resist the urge to slap him.

"This is ridicule´s. You are supposed to be crazy not a wise smartass."

"You would be surprised and you would also be a wise smartass when you have he ability to see into people very souls. If there's one thing I learned in my life is that everything isn't always like they seem."

"Thank you Master Yoda, can I sleep now?" He laughed again and gave me surprisingly a kiss on my forehead and everything started to blur.

"Sweet dreams."

I woke up by a knock on the door and tried not to smile. Ivan. I didn't know why but suddenly I was really excited to see him. I got up and knocked back on the door as sign to come in. the door opened and I came Ivan in usual glory

"Good morning." He said.

"Good morning."

"So, ready for day three."

"No." He held back a laugh because of my tone.

"Well luckily today it won´t be so many classes. The afternoon classes are canceled."

"So, I'm free for today." I asked hopefully.

"Not exactly, you still got your private classes to attend." There goes my day.

"They are just waste of time. If I want to train, I rather do it by myself."

"I think actually you are going to enjoy the class better than yesterday."

"They gave me a new instructor." I asked again hopefully

"No."

"Oh, then I don't see what point."

"Well unfortunately it isn't you to decide. Now hurry up and get dressed." I sighed and started to change after he left the room. We walked to the gym building and I noticed that there were dummies in a row in the middle of the room. I started to open my mouth to speak up but then I saw my father walking towards us.

"Good morning."

"God morning sir." Ivan said I felt a little annoyed. Why must he look up to him like some sort of god.

"I can take it from here." He said. Ivan nodded and left us alone.

"Okay, what kind of unnecessary crap are you going to teach me today? Run? How to throw a punch?"

"No, something more challenging than that." He said and flipped something in the air and captured it.

"What's that?"

"A silver stake." I resist the urge to laugh.

"You seriously going to teach me one of the ways to kill the people I serve?"

"Well, I thought you liked to learn something new. And how to handle a stake is what every guardian must learn."

"I'm not a guardian. I'm a soldier and like to keep it that way." I said seriously.

"Well, it really doesn't matter does it. You can have the knowledge without using it." I rolled my eyes.

"Alright then. It isn't like I have anything better to do." He smiled as if he was holding back a laugh.

"What's so funny."

"Nothing, it just that most dhampire´s in your age are eager to learn to master a stake and you don't."

"That's because they have use of it when they graduate, I don't. Stakes are strictly forbidden where I come from."

"Can't imagine why. Well then, let us begin. You can start with tell everything you know about a silver stake."

"It's a stake made of silver." He raised his eyebrow at me and gave me look that said is-it-really-everything-you-know. I sighed and searched my mind on everything I knew about stakes.  
"The stakes are imprinted with magic from all the five elements. If you stake a strigoi in the heart, they die."

"Four."

"Excuse me?"

"Four elements. You said they where imprinted with five elements. It's four. We don't imprint spirit in our stakes."

"Why? What difference does it make?"

"Well, in a guardians hand not much but in a spirit users hand they can work miracles." That caught my attention.

"What kind of miracles?"

"To turn a strigoi back to her or he's original form." I sighed in disappointment. I thought it would be more exciting.

"Not that bullshit."

"You heard of it?"

"Master Gavrilov talked about it once. He said that it was some weird way to take away a strigoi´s immortality and leaving them losing their memory and weak." We were actually having a small tea party that day. I didn't believe the story when he told me. Everyone knew that rumor but it was considered as a fairytale.

"Well, part of its true. Sure, the strigoi lose their immortality and become weak for a short while after the transformation but they are not losing their memory."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because it happened to me." I looked at him in shocked expression and then became angry and didn't bother to hide it.

"You're lying." I hissed.

"I wish I was but no." he said and I could see some sort of pain in his eyes.

"You, were a strigoi. I don't believe you."

"Believe it or not but I was one and that was the worst thing that ever happened to me. You think the strigoi care for you and are some kind of god-blessed creature. They are the straight opposite. They are using all of you. You are nothing than a weapon for them that can be replaced."

"You're lying. You know nothing."

"No Dina, you know nothing. They only thing a strigoi cares about is to wipe out the entire moroi and dhampire race and will do whatever it takes to do it. They could sacrifice every single of you children in a blink of an eye as long they achieve their goal."

"I don't believe you. You're wrong. You know nothing. You are just trying to mess with my head. It won´t work." We looked at each other for a long time.  
"I want to go back to my room now." I said. He sighed and picked up his cellphone to call Ivan. He came in a minute after.

"Yes sir."

"We are done here." He said and stared to clean away the dummies. Ivan led me outside from the building to my room.

"Wow, you are a real star student aren't ya." He said.

"Shut up." I hissed. I wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"You know you really should show more respect to you father." I turned my glance at him shockingly. I thought he didn't knew who I really was.

"How did you…?"

"I got my sources. What happened? I thought you would like to learn how to use a stake."

"Well I was for a second." I hesitated and then sighed.  
"May I ask you something?"

"Sure, what?"

"You said that he and Rose had trained you."

"That's not a question."

"Okay here is the question. How well do you know them?"

"Quite well, I guess. I became friends with the queens children in kinder garden and have been friends with them ever since. Since then I got close to the their family. My mother Sarah Daniels is adopted to a Drozdov family and became adopted sister to Lucinda Drozdov, Anya's mother. It was already decided a long time ago I would become her guardian. Dimitri saw my passion for the job and decided to teach me a few classes together with Mason."

"Who`s Mason?"

"Princess Jillian´s and guardian Castile's kid." I thought back to the past. If he were their child then I would somehow know him.

"Does he have sand blond hair and green eyes?"

"Yes, he was the one who fought you in the combat class."

"Aah, so that's why he looked so familiar. So where is your mum now?"

"She and Lucinda will come here tomorrow."

"How about your father?" Suddenly there was an awkward silence I could feel how he tensed at the question.  
"I'm sorry I shouldn't ask." I said regretfully.

"No, it's oaky. I actually never met the guy. My mum said that he was some Russian guardian who didn't even know I existed. My mother never told him because she knew that he would chose his job before his family."

"I'm sorry."

"It´s okay I kind of understand him and besides almost none of the dhampire´s here know whom their father is."

"How come?"

"Because most fathers are couple of moroi men who have fling with female dhampire´s and don't want to take care of their children."

"Why?"

"I guess that most of them are royals who don't want to spoil their reputation. Reputation is all they care about." How arrogant and spoiled of them. I have no clue that it was how things work around here. I remembered Michael say about find out more of the society and continued asking.

"And the female moroi like you mother?"

"Some female moroi have affairs with a guardian but they don't have relationships and marry them even less having children with them. Sometimes it happens like with Masons parents but it´s very rare."

"So, you are basically a bunch of bastards who train to become guardians." He laughed.

"You can say that. But not every dhampire work as a guardian. They're some who lives in communes among the humans. They don't have a such a nice reputation." I heard of those kind of communes but haven't visiting one for ages.

"What kind of reputation?"

"Well basically they are bunch of bloodwhores but I know that's not true. They live secretly among humans and have normal lives, not going and whoreing around. At least the majority doesn't."

"Have you been in one of the communes?"

"No, but Dimitri´s family lives in one and told how things really are there."

"I know I visited there when I was little. Don't remember much of the trip there."

"It was there you got kidnapped."

"Saved not kidnapped." I hissed and then sighed in for the final question I had.  
"May I ask another question and I need you to be totally honest with me."

"Okay shot."

"Was my father really a strigoi?"

"Yes. He got turned when the strigoi attacked this school years ago and the queen managed to turn him back. Everyone knows that."

"Okay, thank you for the information." So everyone knows. It couldn't be true. I just couldn't see him like strigoi. This is all very confusing. I followed Michael's stupid advice to find out more to see things clearly but it only left me more confused and unanswered questions.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he said and laid a hand on my shoulder. I could see in his eyes that he really was concerned.

"Yeah I'm okay, why do you care?" I said and drag my shoulder away from his hand.

"Because I do. I care about you." I stopped myself from smiling at that.

"You shouldn't."

"You care about me as well don't you?" I sighed it was true. I do care about him.

"I shouldn't."

"But you do." I looked in his eyes and smiled a little.

"Yes. Yes I do." Suddenly I felt something warm in my chest that somehow connected me to him and I could tell he felt the same way.

"Hey Ivan! Diana!" someone shouted behind us. We both turned around and saw Andre coming towards us with Mason in his heals.

"Andre?" Ivan said.

"What´s up man? Did I interrupt something?"

"No." we both said. Andre just looked at us suspiciously and then shrugged it away as if it was nothing.

"Okay. Nice to see you again." He said to me.

"Nice to see you to." I said and looked at Mason and nodded to him.  
"And you." he nodded back without saying anything.

"Andre what are you doing here?" Ivan asked.

"I just want to talk. Why? Are you guys in a hurry?"

"Actually no. In fact we have nothing going on today." I said.

"Great, I was thinking that maybe you guys wanted to join us for a couple of drinks."

"Andre!" hissed Mason to him and looked like it was a bad idea.

"I'm not interested in your stupid parties." I said.

"It's not a party. It more like tea party except it´s alcohol and not the high-class style shit."

"Still not interested."

"Oh, come it´s just going to be us four with Anya and Miranda. You know gathering the old gang and we are going to be in the chapel."

"Andre that's not a good idea." Ivan said.

"Come on. It will be fun." He said and suddenly I couldn't stop looking in his eyes. Yes, it wouldn't be so bad. What's the worst thing that could happen.

"Yeah it would be fun. Were coming."

"Excellent. Come on the feast starts now. The girls are already there, waiting for us." He said excitingly and started to walk. We followed him and when we came to the church I shook my head and it felt like I was waking up.

"Did he use compulsion on me?" Seriously, first Michael and then Andre. I have to learn to be immune against this shit.

"Wouldn't surprise me." said Ivan.

"What a spoiled prince." I muttered.

"Actually, he is not spoiled. He hates begin royal." I turned my head towards him and raised my eyebrow.

"He does." He nodded and watched at the boys who were walking ahead of us.

"He doesn't like the royal games and to think he's better than everyone else."

"But isn't he like Mr. popular around here." I asked while we entered the church. The priest wasn't here so the coast was clear.

"He is but he is because it what's excepted of him. He is really a nice guy but he is quite stubborn sometimes. "

"Yeah I noticed that. Will you not get in trouble for this?" I asked while we walked up to the storage room.

"As long no one finds out, I wont." When we arrived to the door Andre made dramatic entrance.

"We have returned and look who we bumped into to." Said Andre and gestured towards Ivan and me. I stood in the entrance and looked at the girls who looked shocked and annoyed that I joined them

"What´s up." I said. The black haired girl known as Miranda, ignored me and glared at her brother.

"You brought her here." Said Miranda.

"Oh, come on Mira. It isn't like she hasn't been here before. Besides, I like to get to know our old childhood friend a little better." He said and took a bottle and sat on coffin. Mason took also a one and sat next to him.

"How did he convince you to join us?" asked Miranda me and sipped on her bottle.

"Compulsion."

"Andre!"

"What? Why do you think I used compulsion? Maybe I'm good at convincing people."

"Yeah, by using compulsion." As an answer, he showed his tongue at her.  
"Very mature."

"Oh shut up. Here have drink." He said and handed a bottle to Ivan who stood beside me. He shook his head.

"Thank you but I think at least one of us should stay somber."

"Suit yourself. What about you?" he asked me and handed me the bottle. I shouldn't but then again why not. As long as I didn't get totally wasted I should be fine. I took the bottle and he smiled.  
"Excellent. You can sit next me. Mason, move a little. Make space for our guest of honor." Mason muttered something annoyingly and moved a little so I could sit next to Andre.  
"So, Diana how do you like it here?" I shrugged and took a sip of my bottle. Whatever it was, it wasn't strong and didn't taste as good as the alcoholic drinks I had back in the Darz.

"I have been to better places."

"Interesting. May I ask you something?"

"Go head."

"I heard that the moroi from where you came from learn how to fight with magic in high level."

"Yes, that's true." He looked fascinated and took another sip from his bottle

"How good are they?"

"Good enough to take care of themselves. They don't need guardians like you do?"

"We have some classes here to how to fight with magic. Do think we could win over them?" That surprised me a little but no matter how good they were they would never be as good as the moroi in the Darz.

"Not a chance. Not only does the moroi learn magic as soon they are specialized, they have also spent most of their life to learn how to fight just like you novices here." His eyes widened and looked really impressed at the thought.

"Cool."

"But it must take a lot of energy for them to do both. Do they get probably feed?" asked Miranda who seemed to become more interested in the conversation.

"They feed once a day. They feed from the same human in a line until the human had enough and start with a new one. Some get more blood then others."

"That's must be tough." She said.

"We are taught to be tough in order to survive and to fight this war." I hesitated and then sighed mentally.  
"So how do guys get blood?" I said and took another long sip from my bottle.

"Well, we are going to the feed room and signing us in the line, you know like when you have doctor appointment. When it's our turn we got led to a private room and feed from a human. We don't feed from same human in line like you do?"

"Like they do. I don't drink plasma. Do you always drink just from humans or do you guys drink from dhampire´s as well." Everyone looked horrified at the question.

"Eew, no of course not." Said a girl who presumed was Anya, in pure disgust.

"Our job is to protect the moroi not feed them with our own blood." Said Mason who looked a little offended from the question. I just shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Sorry, my mistake."

"Do you guys do it back there?" asked Anya.

"No, over our dead bodies." I said harshly. It was big silence after that, until Miranda sighed and rose up from her seat by the window.

"Well this was nice but I think that I should go now." She started to walk towards the door and I could see that she was a little drunk.

"Oh, come on Mira. We have just started." Said Andre.

"I don't care. Besides, I have a date with Lukas."

"I'm coming with you. I mean not the date but… you know what I mean." Said Anya and they both walked out of the room.

"They don't seem to like me." I said after a while.

"They are use to be the only girls here, so I guess they don't like the thought that someone else has taken their spot." Said Andre and took another sip.

"That's ridicules."

"I know but girls are girls. Can´t be helped." He muttered and looked sadly at the bottle when he noticed it was empty. It reminded me a little when I first met him. He had a bottle back then too and then it made me wondered if he have some sort of a drinking problem.

"Why do you invite me here?" I asked.

"Because I'm curios about you plus it´s gives me opportunity to escape my followers." He said and took another bottle.

"Are they really that bad?"

"Well they do give you the pressure." Maybe that's why he drank to much. Because of the pressure of begin a prince.

"You shouldn't drink because of that." Mason said as if he thought the same thing as I did.

"I'm a teenage boy. I can drink my problem away how much I want."

"You aren't even old enough to drink."

"Hasn't stopped me, you or any other teenager. No stop nanny me around, I'm fine." He said annoyingly as if they had this conversation many times before.

"How do you snuggle the alcohol to the church anyway?" I asked of pure curiosity.

"Some teacher has his hidings which students steal all the time. I found this room when I was a kid and we had made this our secret hideout ever since."

"No one else know about this place." I said and looked around the room. It was a good hideout.

"No one of the students anyway. Nope this is our territory. Everyone has sworn an oath to not tell about this place. Now is your turn. Swear by god to not tell about this place or you burn in hell." He said looking dead serious but I could see that he was drunk.

"We all going to burn in hell for drinking in a church, so what difference does it make." I said.

"She´s got a point." Said Mason. Andre ignored that and still looked at me seriously.

"Swear."

"Um… I swear by god not to tell another living soul about this place." I said weakly and not as oath.

"Not serious but it will do. I'm hungry. Me want food." He said and suddenly rose from his seat.

"Alright I think you had enough." Mason said took the bottle away from him.  
"Come on let us get you some food. Nice to talk you." he said and led Andre out.

"We should go as well." Said Ivan and I noticed he hadn't said anything all this time. I shrugged and put the bottle on the floor and followed him out from the church.

"So what do you think?" he said after a while.

"Nice gang." I said a little sarcastic.

"They are more nicer once you get to know them, I promise."

"Somehow I got the feeling that none of them wants to get to know me. Well, except Andre. Is he always like that?" He thought about it for a while and answered.

"Sometimes." I looked up to the sky and realized that we still got the rest of the day free and after the conversation with Ivan and the others, I knew exactly how I'm going to spend it.

"Ivan can you call dad? Say I want to continue our lesson."

**And there you have it. Looks like Diana is starting to come around. Nicole seems eager to leave the Darz. And what happened to Diana's dhampire friends. Well you have to wait for the next chapter and I can promise you that it´s going to be a "hot" one. ;)  
In the meantime, please review. **


	9. Chapter 8: The Bond of Weapons

**Okay here is the next chapter and it´s both "hot", shocking and emotionally.  
****Disclaimer****: As usual I don't own the VA world or characters from the older generation, that honor goes to Richelle Mead, just the younger generation and the story they're living in.**

**Chapter 8: The Bond of Weapons**

**DianaPOV**

"Ouch, watch it." said Ivan when I accidently hit him with the dummy I was carrying.

"Sorry, didn't see you there." I said and held back a smile. We were settle things for the lesson because dad took away everything when we ended it in the morning. We decided to do it to have something to do. When we were almost done with the equipment the door opened and in came dad.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Settle things up for the lesson." Said Ivan.

"That's nice of you." he said and looked at me. I shrugged and flipped my hair while avoiding his glance.

"Yeah well, you took quite some time to come here."

"Okay, we are done. See you guys later." said Ivan and started to walk away out from the room. I saw that he gave me a small smile towards me. I couldn't help but smile back. He was really sweet and hot but somehow I never felt attracted towards him. I felt tingling and warm feelings in my chest sometimes when I was near him but it was never because of his appearance. It was because he was… Ivan, I guess. It was hard to explain.

"What made you change your mind?" said dad suddenly and I took my eyes from the door were Ivan just walked out. Sure, I wanted to continue this lesson but that didn't change the way I felt about him. I still don't believe him when he said he was a strigoi and I wasn't going to be nice to him now. My pride stopped me, so I just glared.

"Are we going to train or what? Because I have bunch of other things to do than this." He shook his head and looked like he didn't believe me but he let it go.

"Okay then. You already know how the stakes work, right."

"Right." I said and rolled my eyes as if it was obvious.

"Then all you have to do is to answer one more question before we begin. Where is the heart and what's in the way?" That was a simple question. Back in the Darz, we had classes in anatomy that helped a little in first aid and other medicinal stuff. I walked towards the dummy and tapped my finger a little to the left from the middle of the it´s chest.

"The heart is here and the ribs and the sternum are in the way."

"And how do you get through the ribs and sternum?"

"I don't know? I never stabbed someone in the heart before. Isn't it the point with this lesson." He held back a smile and showed me a few techniques how to do it. It was somewhat fascinating. He did it´s so gracefully and deadly that it was almost beautiful. After awhile he gave me the stake to let me try. I studied the stake that felt cold and smooth as glass and somehow tingled in my hand. Somehow, felt right in my hands. I looked at the dummy and then looked at my father.

"So, what shall I do first?" He came towards me and showed how to do by guiding my hand to the dummy.

"Here, slide the stake up through the ribs like this. It might be a little difficult because you are quite tall but you will mange." I nodded and then he moved back to let me try. I attacked and staked the heart of the dummy. It was harder then I expected to get trough everything and find the right angle but after a few times I got a hang of it.

"Good. Very good. " he said and looked a little proud. I breathed heavily from the effort and was opening my mouth to say something when I breathing became even more heavy and suddenly a warm feeling appeared on my chest. It reminded me the feeling I had when I was near Ivan. The warmth became soon so hot it burned in my chest and I could barely breath. I dangled to the closet´s wall and leaned against it. I could hear how my dad spoke in the background but the burning feeling overtook me in my chest. Why did it burn? The exercise wasn't that damn hard and suddenly panic came over me. _Why, why was I feeling this way? _  
Then I felt an urge to run. I stepped away from the wall and ran out from the building and trough campus without knowing where I was running. It was as my body had a will on it´s own. After awhile I smelled smoked and ran even faster. I ignored the people around me and run in to the forest there I saw a burning cabin (A/N: Yes it's the cabin). I ran towards the door and kicked it open. Fire flowed out from the cabin and I took a few steps back from the heat. After a few breaths, I stepped in the cabin and saw a body on the floor. I felt panic flow inside me and ran forwards the body without caring about the fire. The body was lying it´s the stomach so I turned the body around and screamed.

"Ivan!" I screamed in panic and threw his arm around my shoulder and dragged him up from the floor and out from the cabin. It wasn't easy. He was quite taller than I was and heavy. When I arrived safely out from the burning cabin at the end of the forest to campus, I dropped him to the ground. I bent down to take a better look at him. He was dirty from all the smoke and had few burns on his skin. His eyes where closed and I shake him to wake up without a respond. I was going to do the mouth-to-mouth method when someone grabbed me backwards away from him.

"No, I have to help him! I have to help him or else he die!" I screamed in panic.

"That won't happen. Calm down Diana. Everything is going to be okay." said a dark voice who held a hard grip with his strong arms around me and dragged me away from Ivan. I ignored what he said and struggled to be free from his grip. Then couple of guardians came and carried Ivan away from the forest. Away from me.

"Ivan! Ivan!" I screamed and was now really struggling to be free.

"Diana stop. His going to be fine. They will take him to the doctor´s." But he didn't understand. I need to be with him. I must be with him. I have to make sure he´s save. I must. But he didn't let me go. I took a quick glance to see who was holding me and was surprised to see my dad. I struggled him even harder.

"Diana. Diana." He said but I didn't listen. I had to get to Ivan but man he didn't make it easy and I have to admire his strength a little. Suddenly someone grabbed my chin upwards and slapped it.

"Enough Diana. Pull yourself together." I woke up from my panicking emotions and saw that it was my mum who had slapped me. I shook me head and noticed that there was a quite an audience at the end of the forest. God I must really made a scene. Suddenly Guardian Petrov and some other guardians were walking towards us and looked serious as always.

"Hand the girl over." she said and the other guardians started to take me from my father´s grip.

"What are you doing?" my mum said while they putted handcuffs on me.

"We are taking the girl back to the cells."

"Why? She didn't do anything wrong." She said and I couldn't feel a little surprised at that. Why would she believe I have nothing to do with this when the others did, especially after they way I have treated her.

"Maybe. Maybe not but it would make our job easier to take care of everything if she was locked up and out of the way." said guardian Petrov and motioned my guards to take me away. I turned around to face my father.

"Take care of Ivan. Make sure he's okay." I said in Russia and was dragged by the guardians to the cell. I could feel all the eyes from the audience and how whispered about me. I didn't care about them. The only thing that mattered was Ivan. I looked up to the sky and prayed to the gods that he was going to be okay.

**IvanPOV**

After I left the building, I stood outside and guarding the door as I always did when she was practicing. It surprised me that Diana wanted to give the lesson another chance. I guess that girl was full of surprises. I stood there for a quite a while until I saw movement behind some trees not far away from the building. I saw two people drag someone and I could hear the victim mutter in protest. I looked around the area and didn't see anybody else around who would notice. I abandon my post and walked towards those people. I was guarding the door so Diana wouldn't escape but I couldn't just stand there and let someone else suffer without doing nothing. Besides, Dimitri was with her. If Diana tried anything, he could handle it. I sneaked after the three people outside campus to a cabin. I couldn't see who the people were because they wore black hoodies. After they closed the door, I heard a scream. I didn't hesitate. I ran towards the cabin, dragged the door open, and burst in but to my shock no one was there. It was small cabin with a big bed and fireplace. I saw the window was open walked towards it and looked outside. Nothing. _Where could they go?_ _I couldn't have imagine it because I was only few meters behind them and they left tracks on the ground._ I ran my hand through my dark hair and sighed. Then I heard a creaking behind me, turned around, and saw two people in black hoodies sneaking up behind me. When they noticed that I discover them, they ran towards me and attacked. I managed to fight them of but then something hit me on the back of my head and I collapsed to the floor and everything became dizzy. I heard voices in the background but couldn't hear what they were saying or doing. Then I smelled smoke and everything became black.  
I felt a flow of energy going through me and I felt how I was slowly coming to life but then everything became black. I slowly opened my eyes and squinted because it was so bright in the room.

"Hey, he's waking up." said someone in the background.

"Ivan! Are you alright?" I heard a girl voice who was next me holding my hand. I turned my head towards her and focused to see her probably.

"Anya?"

"Don't worry Ivan, your safe now." she said in a calm smooth voice and smiled sweetly.

"Where am I? What happened?"

"Your at the infirmary. Your where stuck in a cabin who was on fire." said Andre from the end of the bed with Mason. Miranda was sitting on a chair on the other side of me.

"A fire?"

"You don't remember?" Mason asked. I shook my head and rubbed my forehead.

"Sort of. Everything's is a little dizzy."

"Maybe you should heal him one more time." said Miranda and looked concerned.

"No, he has done enough. He just needs to rest then he will be fine." said Mason sharply and I took a look on Andre and saw he was a little paler than usual and saw exhaustion in his eyes. Andre wasn't a natural healer like his mother. He was more skilled in auras and mind control as illusions and had a little affinity in mind reading.

"But…"

"Mason is right. I will be fine. I just need some time to recover that's all." I said and put my hand on Miranda's lap and smiled a little. She sighed and laid her hand over mine.

"Okay if you say so." I nodded and took my hand away from her lap when I caught Andre watching at us in a small glare.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything?" he said but still glared a little. I shook my head again and tried to remember of what happened.

"No, not what I…" I started but then I flash of a picture and a voice screaming my name came through my mind and I my chest started to burn.  
"Diana. Diana! She was there."

"Did that bitch start the fire?!" said Anya in rage.

"It's impossible. Diana was with uncle Dimitri all the time and besides she was the one who pulled him out from the fire." said Miranda.

"She was?" I asked confusingly.

"Yeah, she was the one who first noticed that there was a fire." I shook my head to shake away the headache that started to appear and rubbed my chest for the burning heat of emotion to go away.

"How could she? She was training with Dimitri. How could she notice the fire if she was busy training?" I said.

"Maybe she knew the there was going to be a fire." said Anya.

"She couldn't. I watched her all the time. She couldn't have contacted someone and planned anything."

"Then how do you explain that she knew about the fire before everyone else then?"

"I don't know! But I do know she's innocent and that she saved my life." I said almost screaming. "Where is she now?"

"The guardians locked her up in a cell after they took you to the doctor´s." said Andre.

"Why?!"

"They probably wanted her out of the way while they handled the fire I guess." I pinned, rubbed my nose bone, and sighed mentally from all the emotions and pain in my body_. Jeez, why did I feel this way? It was so overwhelming._

"I have to talk t her." I said and started to get up from the bed.

"Oh no. You are not going anywhere mister. You need to rest." said Anya and motioned me down to the bed again.

"But she needs to know I'm alive."

"Not now she doesn't!"

"Yes she does!" I couldn't explain it but I knew that it was important that I told her that I was fine. It was as if something drove me to go to Diana. To make sure she was okay.

"Wow, clam down man. Anya is right. You need to rest." said Andre. I looked at everyone and thought for a second my chances to escape through them but then suddenly I felt exhausted from all the tension in my body and sank back to the bed in a sigh.

"Okay but someone is got to tell her. Please, she must know. She must." I said weakly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up at Miranda's beautiful blue eyes that looked serious and concerned.

"Don't worry. Will let her know." she said and smiled to cheer me up. And it did.

"Thank you Mira."

**DianPOV**

This was torture. Pure torture. I was walking around the cell restlessly and couldn't stop thinking about Ivan. It has been hours since I saved him from the fire and I haven't heard anything about him and it was torture. Was he alive? Was he dead? Hardly injured? I don't know. I didn't fucking know and that drove me mad. I might think that I have small panic attack of some sort. I didn't bother to scream and ask the guards because I knew they didn't know and even if they did they wouldn't tell me. I sighed in frustration and bounced down to the bed. Suddenly I felt exhausted from all the worry, lied down on the bed, and let the sleep take over me.

"_Kill them! Kill them all!" Hissed the fog with the red eyes and forced me to kill all the people in the fire. After killed everyone in the burning corridor I walked to room and found more people.  
"Kill them." hissed the fog who crawled like a shadow around me. I walked towards the people and hesitated when I saw familiar faces in the room. Ivan, mama, papa, Andre and the others.  
"Kill them! Kill them now." I stood there for a while and fought an inner battle in if I should kill them or not. Suddenly the fog crawled to my skin and cut me like knives. I muttered curses in Russia from the pain and raised my sword to kill them. _

"_Diana don't." said Ivan who stood in my way and he was glowing. I stopped and looked into his eyes that looked sad, pained and concerned for me.  
"Please." he whispered._

Suddenly the scenario changed and I was back at the balcony on the castle at the ocean. I shook my head in confusion and tried to figure out what was happening.

"Are you alright? You seemed… messed up." said a voice behind me. I didn't need to turn around to know who was, I mean who else would it be than mad Michael.

"Messed up is a word to describe it but I would prefer the word confused." I turned around to face him and saw that he was dressed in same clothes as last time. I noticed that I had the same blue gown on me as well.  
"I was dreaming another dream and then I got here."

"Oh sorry for interrupting your dream but I missed your company." He said and joined me on the end of the balcony and leaned at its fence.

"Well I'm not missing yours." I said and rolled my eyes. I turned my glance to the ocean, which was as beautiful as last time, and it was sunset as well. I admired the view expecting him to give some optimistic comment on our friendship but instead I caught him observing me as if I was some sort of a puzzle.  
"What?!" I said and started to get annoyed by his staring.

"Why are you glowing?" I raised an eyebrow and looked down at myself expecting my skin to glow like some lamp but no, I was pretty much normal. I turned my glance at him and frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"Your aura." He explained while never leaving his observing glance from me.  
"It's glowing. Well not your whole aura just the gold. I always wondered why its there? What has happened in the real world?" I sighed and wondered if I should tell him but then again I already told him everything else so and besides I was curious at the glowing gold in my aura. So, I told him everything that's happened today. He was quite and listening interested in everything I said like last time, especially at the end when I told him about the fire.

"Interesting. Very interesting. And you didn't have no idea that he was in the cabin."

"I had absolutely no clue. I thought he was outside guarding or something."

"And this feeling you had has it ever happened before?"

"No."

"Interesting." He said and looked at me more curious then ever.  
"May I investigate?"

"What do you mean by investigate?" I said and took a small step backwards.

"I want your permission to enter your mind to see if I can find out more. Don't worry, I will just focus on the feeling you got and not invading your mind. Your mind is your own I have nothing part of it." Yeah, like he hasn't invading my mind before.

"Okay but don't swoop around in my mind okay."

"I`ll give you my word." he said and stood in front of me and placed his hand on my forehead. I started to get a little nervous.

"Is it going to hurt? Just so I know." I said trying to look unafraid.

"I don't know. I never done this before." I rolled my eyes.

"Gee thanks, that makes me feel so much safer." He smiled at that and closed his eyes. First, nothing happened but suddenly I felt a tingling of energy swirling in my head as a snake from his palm.

"Interesting." he mumbled.

"What?"

"It seems like you have some kind of a bond to the boy."

"A bond? What kind of bond?"

"A spiritual one. I never have seen anything like it." I shook my head under his palm in disbelief and confusion.

"How can I have a spiritual bond with him? I have only known him for a few days and nothing magical has happened during that time between us."

"I don't know how or why. I just know that there is a bond between you two. I could figure out more if I had both of you here but something tells me that I wouldn't found much." he said and stepped back and ended his mind spell.

"It doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense. How can I have bond with someone I met few days ago and not knowing it?"

"Maybe this isn't the first time you met."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that perhaps you two have met in the past without knowing it or you simply don't remember that you have met before." he said observingly.

"I was four years old when the strigoi took me and before that, I lived with my parents. If I have met him then I would know. Or at least recognize him a little when I saw him but I didn't."

"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it has do with the fact that you're parents are both dhampire´s." I growled at that.

"It's impossible. I can't have two biological dhampire parents. Everyone knows that dhampire´ s can´t reproduce with each other. I have a one moroi parent like everyone else, I just don't know if my moroi parent is a mum or a dad."

"Well why don't you ask your parents about that. After all, you deserve the truth, don't you not."

"I do." I said and sounded a little unsure.

"But you are afraid of what you will find out." I sighed frustrated at him. It was no point in denying it.

"Yes."

"Well, it´s your decision to make. If you're ready that is. I shall let you sleep now. You have a lot to think about." he said and the world started to fade. I woke up and shook my head but I couldn't get all the thoughts of my head. I was worried for Ivan and confused. Michael said that we had some kind of a bond that made no sense. I had to talk to Ivan about this, if he would believe me. All this is kind of messed up and confusion but I knew if both worked together we would find out the truth. Somehow, I got a feeling that the truth wouldn't be pleasant but it was a risk I was going to take, starting by talking to my parents about how I was born.  
Suddenly a one guardian came towards my guards, said some words, and opened the cell.

"Come, you will be escorted to the hearing room." said one of the guardians.

"Why?"

"Because Guardian Petrov said so. Now come." God this people could be really mean sometimes but I didn't say anything back and followed him to the hearing room after he handcuffed my hands. I felt a small déjà vu when I entered the hearing room and I saw Guardian Petrov sitting on one of the chairs.

"God morning Diana." she said and motioned me to sit on the chair across the table.

"Morning. So, why I am here?" I said and sat on the chair.

"I want to ask some questions about yesterday's events."

"I have nothing to do with the fire."

"We know that but do you know someone who might?" I tried to play nonchalant and raised my eyebrow.

"Why would I? It was probably some stupid prank."

"A prank that nearly cost one of our guardian's life. No, I got a feeling that the fire was a set up but the question is why."

"Well, as I said I have nothing to do with the fire."

"But maybe your friends are?" her word was like ice cold water thrown at me.

"My friends?" Derek, Marcel and Tanya. I forgot about them. I felt a small warm feeling of happiness by the thought that they didn't completely abandon me.

"Yes, the rest of the children who helped you to vandalize the cafeteria not long ago. Maybe they set the fire up in order to rescue you. What do you say Diana? Does it sound something they would do?" Yes that does sound exactly something they would do but I didn't let it show and acted untouched by her remarks.

"Perhaps but I haven't any communication with them sense the day I was captured." She looked at me for a while to see if I was lying which I wasn't.

"I believe you. You may go back to your room in the dorm." The guardians started to escort me when I hesitated and looked towards her.

"How's Ivan?"

"He will survive. May I ask how you knew that he was in the fire in the first place? Sources have indicated that you had practice with Guardian Belikov under the time of the fire." I just shrugged and looked like it was nothing.

"Instinct I guess." I said and was led out of the building by two guardians who escorted me to my dorm. We passed a couple of people who whispered and cast small glances at me. Why did people always whispered around when I am around. It started to get quite annoying but as usual, I ignored them. When we almost there a woman was walking towards us.

"Excuse me gentlemen, is it okay if I talk to the girl for a moment." the woman said. She was beautiful. She did look like in her early forty. She had black hair in a long braid and warm brown eyes. She wasn't quite dressed as royalty that showed how rich she was but she definitely looked someone in a higher rank.

"Sorry mam but we have orders to take her to her dorm." Suddenly she glanced at the guardian intensely and smiled sweetly.

"It won't take long and you can still watch over her in earsight if that pleases you but I really need to talk to this girl." The guardians looked at me and then back to the woman.

"You got five minutes." She bowed her head in gratitude and walked towards me. She took my arm and led me a bit away from the guardians.

"You are a spirit user." I whispered to her. I expected her to be startled that I knew but she instead she looked amused.

"How observant of you. Yes I am indeed a sprit user." she said in a small Romanian accent.

"What do you want?" I asked and she let go of my arm and bowed her head towards me.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Sarah Daniels."

"Your Ivan's mother."

"Yes I am. I heard how you rescued him from the fire yesterday and I just wanted thank you personally."

"Oh, you're welcome… I guess." I said started to get a little uncomfortable but I got a good feeling from this woman. I didn't know if it was because of the spirit or her warming personality or the fact she was Ivan's mother.

"I heard something interesting that you were preoccupied with in a training session while the fire happened and you just knew that he was in danger. Is it true?" I hesitated if I should tell her but it felt like I could trust this woman with my life. Almost like how I felt for Ivan but not as strongly.

"Yes." I said and she nodded.

"So it´s has started." she mumbled in Romania. Luckily for me I spoke fluent Romania and understood every word she said.

"What… wait what do you mean it's started? Wait do you know something about the bond between us." I said in English. She looked surprised that I understood what she just said and then looked at me in suspicion.

"How did you now there is a bond?"

"Let´s just say I have some spiritual allies so it isn't so hard to find out. But I think the real question is how do _you_ know about the bond?"

"I know very much actually."

"Tell me." I demanded while burning with curiosity

"I will tell you but I have to be sure that you are absolutely ready to know the truth. It might change everything for you." she whispered. I didn't hesitate with the answer.

"I want to know the truth. No matter what." She looked into my eyes, which felt like she could see into my soul and nodded slightly.

"Well in that case. I will tell you tonight. Ivan will escort you."

"But…" I said when the guardians came towards us.

"We have to go now mam." She nodded and gave me a last glance and smiled.

"See you tonight." she said in Romania and walked away.

**IvanPOV**

I was lying in the bed and was bored as hell. The nurses wanted me to rest because I had lost my memories of what happened, even if I felt completely fine. I almost thought about escaping from this place. If I could find my clothes that is. I was wearing hospital patient clothing and didn't want to embarrass myself by going around like this. So, I just lied there on the and frowned up to the ceiling.

"I always admired that no matter how irritated you get you just deal with it as if it was nothing." said a familiar voice in Romania from the end of the room. I sat up in the bed and smiled.

"Mum!" She smiled at me and walked towards the bed and put her both hands on my cheeks.

"Ivan. My son. How are you feeling? I was so worried when I heard about the fire."

"I'm fine mum. No need to overreact." I said back in Romania and put her hands in my own.

"Do you know what happened?" she asked curiously.

"Sort of. I remember people and that I followed them but that's pretty much it." She didn't say anything instead she released her hand from my own and placed it on my forehead and I knew what she was thinking.

"Mum don't. Andre has already healed me." I said and took her hand away from my forehead.

"Andre is a child. I'm more experienced."

"I know mum but seriously I'm fine. I don't need to be healed, honestly." I assured her. She was so overprotective towards me sometimes. As if she thought that, she would lose me in any moment. I always saw it like some natural mother instinct.

"If you say so. I'm glad Diana saved you from the fire. She's seems to be a nice girl no matter what the other say."

"I know." I smiled a little but then remembered what she just said.  
"Wait did you met her?"

"Yes, she was escorted by some guardians to her room in the dhampire´s dorm." I sighed in relief.

"Good. Last time I heard about her she was in a cell. She doesn't feel comfortable in cells." I said and for a moment wondered where the last thing came from. Sure, we have talked to each other but she never revealed her weaknesses like cells.

"She said that she knew that you were danger when she was busy training. Like she could just feel it like some kind of a bond." My mum said and interrupt my thoughts.

"A bond? Between Diana and me? That's ridicule's. We have only known each other for a couple of days. Sure, we have some kind of… connection but not some spiritual bond."

"That girl. Is she daughter of Dimitri and Rose?" she said as if I said nothing.

"Yes, she is. Why?" I knew she knew about their daughter has been kidnapped and killed by the strigoi even though they barely even met. She was the one who encouraged them to give me a few private lessons.

"Then there's definitely a bond between you two."

"Mum what are you talking about?" I said and was wondering if she started to get crazy because of the spirit.

"Don't worry my son. Everything will be explained tonight. Can you do me a favor and pick up Diana around seven tonight."

"Uh…sure mum." I said unsure and more confused then ever.

"Good. I know you are confused but if you think back and think hard about your time with Diana more closely you will see that's is more between Diana and you then it seems. But for the time begin rest, okay."

"Yes mum." I said. She smiled and kissed my forehead before she walked out from the room. _What the hell was that about?_ I did as she said and thought back with my time with Diana. From when I first met her, the spar match and my time guardian her. The more and more I thought about it kind of make sense. It would explain why I was so desperate to continue to be Diana's guardian after our spar. I looked at the door were my mother walked out from and thought about the emotions I had when I woke up. Maybe there is a bond after all.

**DianaPOV**

Tonight couldn't come any faster. I sat in my room watching and cursing at the clock on the wall and waited eagerly and frustrated for Ivan to come and get me. The curiosity ate me alive and I couldn't sit still. I was spending the time by doing some stretching and muscle exercise to keep me preoccupied. When it was 7 pm someone, finally, knocked the door. I jumped out from the bed, headed to the door, and knocked to the person to come in. The door opened and I saw Ivan stand by the doorstep and smiled at me.

"Hi." He said.

"Hey, your okay." I said and gesture to his body that looked completely healed.

"Yeah, I guess I am." he said and I could hear he was nervous.  
"Thank you." he said suddenly.

"Huh?" I said stupidly. I could see that he tried to not to laugh.

"Thank you for saving me from the fire." Usually I would give a rude comment or hit him because he wanted to laugh at me but I just smiled and looked deeply in his eyes and felt a tingling warmth in my chest.

"Any time. What were you doing there any way?" He just shook his head slowly and looked pained.

"I don't remember much. It s kind of dizzy." I couldn't help to feel pity for him and put my hand on his shoulder and gave him an smile.

"Don't worry about that now."

"Yeah, we have to find out about our bond."

"Your mother spoke to you." I didn't ask that as a question but he answered anyway.

"Yes, did you really feel I was in danger while you were training with Dimitri." I didn't deny it and nodded.

"Yes." He sighed in half relief and half laugh while shacking his head.

"This is all messed up." he said.

"But everything will be clear after tonight."

"Yeah, are you ready to find out the truth?"

"More than anything. I always… every since I met you it has always felt like I could trust you and that I had to protect you. I never understood why but I guess everything will be explained tonight." I said and was surprised that I opened up to him. I usually didn't show my emotion and pushed everyone who came to close to me, well if you don't count my friends form the Darz but this was different. I actually told him how I felt about him, which was scary. I never have been comfortable in sentimental situations.

"Yeah. Are you scared? To find out the truth?"

"Terrified" I laughed.

"Me too."

"Well at least we aren't alone in this."

"Together." he asked and reached his hand towards me. I smiled and grabbed his hand without breaking our eye contact and the tingling in my chest grow stronger that it almost tickled.

"Together." He smiled and we both walked out from the room and towards the guest buildings. We passed some people here and there but ignored their glances and whisperings and walked to the guest room where Ivan's mum lived in. Ivan took out a key and opened the door. The décor was welcoming and luxury but it didn't matter because I saw the king and queen and my parents stand in the room talking with miss Daniels.

"Your majesty's? Rose? Dimitri? What are you guys doing here?" said Ivan surprisingly.

"Are you part of this as well?" I asked and glared a little at my so called parents.

"Yes, we are some way or another. Sit." my mum said and gestured us to sit on the couch. We sat down and an awkward silence broke out, until Ivan's mother, Sarah sighed and looked at my parents.

"I guess you two should start." I looked between them in confusion.

"Start with what?" I asked. As answer to my question, my mother came towards me and bent down right in front of me holding my hands.

"Diana, we know how you always wondered how you were born. On which one of us is your real parent and who's not and the truth is… well it all began by some moroi scientist who had this crazy idea about making super dhampire´s by genetically make a dhampire with two dhampire´s parents." I was started to say something but was interrupted by the Queen.

"We all thought he was crazy until one day he came, showed us a baby, and claimed that she was a full dhampire. He had papers that showed its DNA and everything but we didn't believe him and I forbid him to do anymore on that subject. It's dangerous to play with the rules of nature."

"Until one night when you father and I slept someone knocked on our door and we found a basket with the baby, together with some papers that claimed that we were the baby's biological parents." my mother continued and looked at me intensely and I could see many emotion in her eyes like se was re-experiencing that night right now.

"That baby… was it me?" I said carefully not want to believe it.

"Yes, it was you. We were very confused about the situation so we took a DNA test to see if it was true and it was. Therefore, we decided to take care and raise you like normal dhampire child and we couldn't be anymore happier, until the strigoi took you away. I know you think that we abandon you that night but that's not true Diana. We searched for days after you without any luck and we had to accept that we lost you forever, which was the hardest thing we ever have to go through." I kept my face emotionless and tried to control all the feelings that started to boil of what's she just said.

"It still don't explain my bond with Ivan." I said as if she was telling me some useless shit.

"Bond? What bond?" she asked confusingly. I raised my eyebrow at that.

"You don't know?" I asked.

"Know what?" my dad looking as confused as my mother. I looked at Sarah who just stood there.

"You didn't tell them?"

"I wanted to tell them while you were here. When the time was right"

"Tell us what?" said my mother who started to get frustrated by this secrecy.

"Calm down and I will explain. What they say is true Diana. You are a full dhampire child, I should know because I was the scientist assistant and your surrogate mother." She wouldn't have surprised me more now then if she said the sky was green and fish started to walking on land and that she was secretly a man.

"You what? You gave birth to me?!" I asked shockingly not believe I was hearing and apparently I wasn't the only one in the room who was shocked by her announcement.

"Yes. I was also the one who left you with your parents. You see the reason my boss, and under that time also my husband, was doing this… experiment was because to give the moroi an asset to the war against the strigoi but when the Queen rejected him he was determined to continue with his work. He was going to use experiments on you. Horrible experiments and I could not stay and watch this happen to you so I took you to you parents so you could live a normal life."

"Not to sound rude or anything but what has this anything to do with me." said Ivan now looked both surprised and a little bit pissed at his mother. She turned her glance towards him and her face softened in grief as if she was preparing herself for the worst.

"Diana was the second child that was succeeded experiment; you my beloved son are the first one." Okay I was wrong this surprised me more.

"What? But wait if I'm full dhampire doesn't that mean your not my real my mother." He said and I could hear the hurt in his voice.

"Unfortunately I am only your surrogate mother as I'm to Diana but Ivan I love you. Like your were my own son. That's hasn't changed and it never will."

"So, if you are not my real mom than who is?"

"It´s kind of obvious isn't it. After all, you have known her for years."

"Who!" he said impatiently

"Your real parents are Dimitri and Rose Belikov. Diana is your sister." Okay I was wrong this took the price, no an award. And a dedicated statue.

"He's my brother?!" I exclaimed.

"He´s our son?!" said my parents on the same time.

"Wow, this a weird family reunion." said lord Ozera in the background.

"Shut up!" we all four snarled and then turned our glances towards Sarah.

"Why didn't you tell us?" my dad asked.

"Forget about you, why didn't you tell me?!" said Ivan.

"Because I hoped that, you would never find out but when I heard about Diana I knew it would only matter of time you will notice the bond. You see my old boss used my spirit magic in order to make you two and somehow that has connected you with a bond that is some emotional version of a bond between a sprit user and a shadow kissed. The bond was obvious when you both were very young. Every time Diana cried you always knew why she cried. If she was hungry, sad, lonely or simply needed to change diapers. You were so protective around her and Diana always wanted you by her side. We think that the spirit in Mr. Belikov´s aura has something to do with the bond as well."

"So your saying some mad scientist mixed some chemicals and put us inside you and created us." said Ivan furiously

"Yes."

"What his name? The scientist." he asked.

"Harold Aaldenberg." That name struck me like lightning.

"What!" I exclaimed. They all looked at me curiously.

"You know him?" asked Sarah in horror.

"Not exactly. I've have met him. He talked to me after my group got our mission and he was just looking at me as if I'm some piece of art, asked weird question about my health, and stuff. I always thought he was interested in me because I was the best dhampire in the organization but it wasn't like that, wasn't it. He was just interested in me because I was his sick creation! And the strigoi knew about it! Master Gavrilov knew and he didn't tell me!" I exclaimed higher and higher when the pieces started to take place.

"Harold has always wanted to use you as weapons to the war, it wouldn't surprise me if he made a deal with the strigoi. If you he knows who you are then you are in trouble. You both are. Mr. Aaldenberg has searched for you every since I took you both away and he will stop at nothing to get you back. He will continue with his work and experiment on you. You have to protect each other no matter what. Your stronger and faster than normal dhampire´s . Not as strong as the strigoi but enough to able to protect yourself but you have to do it together." She said.

"Diana…" said my mother and reached her hand towards to touch me but I flinched from her.

"Don't touch me!" I snarled. My emotions were like a hurricane or a tsunami. It was just too much.

"Diana I know its lot to take in but everything will be fine." My mother assured me. I turned my glance at her and gave her a glare of anger.

"Fine? Fine! I'm some freak made of some sick recipe. I wasn't born because someone wanted a child or because of some accident or even love, no because I'm a weapon! How can you say everything will be fine!" I shouted at her.

"I…" she started but I waved her away.

"Shut up! Shut up all of you! I don't want this anymore. You all go to hell!" I screamed and ran out from to the room and bit my lower lip to hold back my tears. I ran back straight to my room and for the first time since the day the strigoi took me I cried. I almost literally bawled my eyes out. I was letting all my emotions out while I cried. The frustration. The confusion. The grief. Everything. It felt like everything fell apart and I didn't know how to feel anymore. How I should feel and think about the people here in the academy and people back in the Darz. Everything was just upside down and spinning around to a giant mess that I just couldn't clear up. I don't know how long I cried but suddenly I heard a knock on the door. I sighed and wiped my tears with the back of my and opened the door. I excepted it to be my parents or miss Daniels but instead it was Ivan who looked as messed up as me. His eyes was slightly red and he tried to give med a smile but it was a broken one.

"Hi."

"Hi. What are you doing in here?"

"I don't know. I left just after you did. I needed space to think and walked around without knowing where I walked and then I found myself outside your room and thought that maybe… you wanted company by someone who's in the same position as you because… I could really use some because I just don't know what to do. But I understand if you want to be alone so its okay if you don't want me to be here. I´ll just…"

"Ivan." I said calmly.

"What?" I stepped aside and gesture him to come in.

"Come in." I could see the obvious relief in his face and smiled.

"Thank you." he said and sat on the bed.

"So I guess there is no point on asking you how you feel." he said in trying to make joke. I would have laughed or smiled amusingly if I wasn't feeling like crap.

"Pretty much and can't you know how I feel anyway." I said and sat on the end of the bed with me knees against my chest.

"Probably but I´m to busy with my own so I can't focus on you, if even I could do it in command."

"I guess." We stayed silent for a while until I sighed in defeat.  
"This is just so damn sick mess. We are both basically experiments from some test tubs to be super soldiers weapons to this war. Its like we are…"

"Freaks of nature."

"Exactly and I hate it. It feels I don't know like… I mean I always trained for this war but to be some kind of a used weapon as if I'm just a object is a completely different thing. The strigoi knows about me and the worst part is that they didn't take away from my parents because they wanted to save me but because they wanted to use me."

"It wouldn't surprise me. The strigoi are evil and soulless with no remorse or empathy." I lowered my head and shook it.

"I just can't believe it." I said weakly and felt a new wave of tears to build up in my eyes.

"Hey, no one can blame you or the others. You were just kids when they kidnapped you and you didn't know how the world works. They could easily manipulate you to think that we were the bad guys and they were the good ones." He said and moved closer to me.

"But that's a lie. Isn't it."

"Yes." I looked up and met his glance and didn't care about the small tears that escaped me.

"Have you ever seen one? A strigoi?" He shook his head slowly.

"No. No, I haven't. I'm only been a guardian for almost a year and have only been working here on the school so far. I never really been out there in the real world." He did sound pained about it. Not because he didn't stake a strigoi or something but that he was somehow trapped here at the academy.

"I always wanted to travel around the world when I was little. It was my dream to be free. Free to explore the world and live my life but I gave up that dream a long time ago." I said.

"That's a nice dream. I always wanted to be as a great guardian as Dimitri and Rose but now I'm not sure. I'm mean, the people I've have looked up to ever since I was little are actually my biological parents. How sick is that and I can´t really blame them because they didn't even know that I existed but I just don't know how to see them anymore."

"Same here. It´s like my picture of the world has been smashed and now are in messed up pieces that I don't know how to put back." Another silence came and we both just sat there struggling in our life changing misery.

"Well if I'm going to have a unexpected sister I'm glad that its you." he said and smiled at me honestly happy about the thought. I smiled back and felt a huge relief that I wasn't alone in this.

"I'm glad that you're my brother too."

"My mum… surrogate mum said that Aaldenberg was after us. You have met him, how is he?" I turned my glance towards the windows with the metal bars outside and pictured a middle-aged man with his black soulless eyes.

"Weird but must of all scary. It´s like he could see into my very soul. I didn't like him when I first saw him. Like I knew he was dangerous."

"Do think he would go after us?" I didn't hesitate. The answer was obvious.

"Yes, and now when he has the strigoi as his allies he might succeed."

"Wait he is still moroi?" I turned my glance towards him.

"Yes."

"Huh, I thought that the strigoi would have turned him or something."

"Maybe because he could his moroi magic to his experiments or something which he can´t if he was a strigoi. He did use Sarah's spirit magic to create us after all." I said and regretted the last part when I saw the hurt in his eyes.

"Well I'm not going to be his play toy he can just use. If he's after us he is going to have some resistant." he said seriously.

"From both of us." I said just as serious and felt the tingling warmth in my chest, which probably was the bond between us heating up.

"Together?" he asked and held out his hand. I smiled and grabbed his hand without breaking the eye contact.

"Till the very end." I said and at that moment, the tingling of the bond burned between us and it was official. I didn't know how things would be like from now on but I knew I wasn't alone. I had Ivan Daniels. My protector. My partner. My soulmate. But most importantly, my brother.

**Bet you didn't see that coming and I'm sorry for all the ones who shipped Diana and Ivan as a couple but this was what I planned for this story in the beginning. So, what do you think? Review your comment´s, reactions. I was little worried if I rushed things to fast. I was actually planning that they would find out who they were in the next chapter but I couldn't figure out a good plot in the between so I wrote it on this chapter. What do you think?**

**Anyway review and we will se how things will go in the next chapter.**


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